I cannot see Zed being a “Pal” of Vlad, but I can see that there could be an understanding of a sort. One Military professional to another, who no longer have to fight in the arena to please their masters. Much like the Germans and the Brits and the Americans years after WWII will all sit together in a bar some place warm and toast lost comrades.
Back in the day my wife, a journalist for our local newspaper (before that profession went south) covered the 50th anniversary of Victory in Japan Day at the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific War. I went along as “military consultant.”
A lot of Japanese visitors showed up, and were treated with respect.
Only a few people noticed when the local high school band marched by in the parade, that on both sides of all the big bass drums it said “Yamaha.”
IMHO it wasn’t the U.S.S.R. that brought communism to the U.S. Back then both Kennedy and Reagan saw it for the evil empire it was. But once the Cold War was over, and the “Socialist Republic” fell, U.S. intellectuals gave it victim status, and proceeded to idolize it. Today they truly believe that when government becomes the master of the People, they will be the “right people” in charge.
History has repeatedly disproven that thesis, but intellectuals are too educated to learn from the past.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.”
― C.S. Lewis
April 4, 2024 at 7:43 am
Steve+Peterson
There are “no right people EVER “ to make socialism/communism work!!!!!!!
The road to hell is paved with misgiven intentions from “the right people”….what is it about intellectuals that they refuse to accept that socialism only works for the few at the top….or perhaps that’s the point…elite snobs like john fucking kerry who should’ve been shot in Viet Nam….can you imagine kerry as a war hero?…have mercy on us all….
In spite of, or maybe because of, McCarthy and his campaign, there are more radical leftist/socialist/communist/elitist pieces of shit per capita in the so-called “entertainment” biz than in any other part of our “society”.
April 4, 2024 at 9:05 am
Bill
It cracks me up that the left is letting in millions of third world refugees thinking it will be in charge at the end of the day. The hoard will surely devour them as it has every time before. They will congregate, elect local councils, then mayors, then representatives. The “elite” may be surprised to discover they aren’t as elite as they think. With a little luck, the “elite” may discover that normal Americans are not thrilled with their plans for us.
It’s been in USA, festering, for over a century.
The “anarchists” of the 1900’s seem to have actually been communists.
FDR was a “progressive”, and far to chummy with Stalin.
And the anti-war “counterculture” movement of the 60’s and 70’s has all the earmarks of having been mentored by the Soviets.
The infection has been here for quite some time, it’s just that now it’s spread through the whole body.
larryarnold said it right: too educated to learn…anything. Most non-industrial PhDs stop learning immediately, and become arrogant narcissists bent on “teaching” others their overheated visions for mankind.
Proving, yet again, that “Intelligent” and “Smart” are not congruent terms. Too many of the highest IQs I’ve ever encountered have been housed in the dumbest people I’ve ever met. Just take a look at MENSA – if you dare.
Given the choice, I’ll take “Smart” every time . . .
As I’ve said so many times in almost the same terms as you repeat here, some of the dumbest people I ever met were some of the most “educated”. And OMG did I ever used to love to engage with the ones that sported their little “mensa” pin on their lapel…so much fun to make their heads explode with logic, reason, and yeah, “smaht”!
April 4, 2024 at 2:11 pm
WayneM
Back in basic training, the drill instructor got us lined up and then asked all of those with university degrees to indicate as much by raising their hand…
He then addressed the rest of us that he had higher expectations of us and wanted us to help our overly-educated cohort to overcome their inevitable lack of common sense.
April 4, 2024 at 5:26 pm
resolute
The way I refer to it is:
“Some people are educated beyond their intelligence.”
Elon will have that thing up and running while they are still reviewing and redoing their plans…and he’ll do it on his own private dime like it’s supposed to be. Then when he charges a fare, I can hear them screaming now, it should be free! You know, like it would be if gov ever actually built it. Free. Heh.
“I can hear them screaming now, it should be free!”
Hah! Heinlein wrote precisely this great scene in “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.” (The item that “should be free” was air.)
April 4, 2024 at 10:33 pm
JTC
That quote, TANSTAAFL, and grok are three of my permanent debate components…
April 9, 2024 at 2:45 am
RyGuy
To be fair, Putin befriended Solzhenitsyn & now makes his books required reading in Russian schools (Except “200 Years together” which is hard as hens’ teeth to find a copy of).
Putin routinely references key concepts coined by Solzhenitsyn, for example, he mentioned “The Golden Billion” in his talk with Carlson. This is an important phrase that Solzhenitsyn used to express how an unprecedented number of spoiled naive brats have been driving the world blindly, perhaps soon off a cliff.
Maybe Putin doesn’t really believe in anything but power, but is at least wise & creative enough in his pursuit of it to try a more Orthodox Christian, which is to say, Neo-Byzantine approach to getting & keeping it.
27 Comments
I cannot see Zed being a “Pal” of Vlad, but I can see that there could be an understanding of a sort. One Military professional to another, who no longer have to fight in the arena to please their masters. Much like the Germans and the Brits and the Americans years after WWII will all sit together in a bar some place warm and toast lost comrades.
HELL yes…
Defund the wars…then let’s talk about the UN, NATO, Climate scam, etc etc.
Defund the UN and the ‘climate change’ crowd and you’ll go a long way toward stopping wars
Back in the day my wife, a journalist for our local newspaper (before that profession went south) covered the 50th anniversary of Victory in Japan Day at the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific War. I went along as “military consultant.”
A lot of Japanese visitors showed up, and were treated with respect.
Only a few people noticed when the local high school band marched by in the parade, that on both sides of all the big bass drums it said “Yamaha.”
IMHO it wasn’t the U.S.S.R. that brought communism to the U.S. Back then both Kennedy and Reagan saw it for the evil empire it was. But once the Cold War was over, and the “Socialist Republic” fell, U.S. intellectuals gave it victim status, and proceeded to idolize it. Today they truly believe that when government becomes the master of the People, they will be the “right people” in charge.
History has repeatedly disproven that thesis, but intellectuals are too educated to learn from the past.
Good assessment of the aftermath. Tyrants will always tell you their actions stem from the purist of motives. Just ask ’em.
Badger52
They are legends of “their “ minds!! Lol
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.”
― C.S. Lewis
There are “no right people EVER “ to make socialism/communism work!!!!!!!
The road to hell is paved with misgiven intentions from “the right people”….what is it about intellectuals that they refuse to accept that socialism only works for the few at the top….or perhaps that’s the point…elite snobs like john fucking kerry who should’ve been shot in Viet Nam….can you imagine kerry as a war hero?…have mercy on us all….
Marxist thugs were here before the Russian Revolution and were seeded in academia, government already back then.
Oops, left out organized labor.
And, you left out Hollyweird.
In spite of, or maybe because of, McCarthy and his campaign, there are more radical leftist/socialist/communist/elitist pieces of shit per capita in the so-called “entertainment” biz than in any other part of our “society”.
It cracks me up that the left is letting in millions of third world refugees thinking it will be in charge at the end of the day. The hoard will surely devour them as it has every time before. They will congregate, elect local councils, then mayors, then representatives. The “elite” may be surprised to discover they aren’t as elite as they think. With a little luck, the “elite” may discover that normal Americans are not thrilled with their plans for us.
It’s been in USA, festering, for over a century.
The “anarchists” of the 1900’s seem to have actually been communists.
FDR was a “progressive”, and far to chummy with Stalin.
And the anti-war “counterculture” movement of the 60’s and 70’s has all the earmarks of having been mentored by the Soviets.
The infection has been here for quite some time, it’s just that now it’s spread through the whole body.
larryarnold said it right: too educated to learn…anything. Most non-industrial PhDs stop learning immediately, and become arrogant narcissists bent on “teaching” others their overheated visions for mankind.
Proving, yet again, that “Intelligent” and “Smart” are not congruent terms. Too many of the highest IQs I’ve ever encountered have been housed in the dumbest people I’ve ever met. Just take a look at MENSA – if you dare.
Given the choice, I’ll take “Smart” every time . . .
As I’ve said so many times in almost the same terms as you repeat here, some of the dumbest people I ever met were some of the most “educated”. And OMG did I ever used to love to engage with the ones that sported their little “mensa” pin on their lapel…so much fun to make their heads explode with logic, reason, and yeah, “smaht”!
Back in basic training, the drill instructor got us lined up and then asked all of those with university degrees to indicate as much by raising their hand…
He then addressed the rest of us that he had higher expectations of us and wanted us to help our overly-educated cohort to overcome their inevitable lack of common sense.
The way I refer to it is:
“Some people are educated beyond their intelligence.”
Just to remind folks, Putin is 5’7″. An inch shorter than Adolf Hitler, although I think he’s taller than the Little Emperor Kim…
The intelligentsia, MSM, academia, and all the rest of their ilk are so “smart” that they are in fact … stupid.
so now China gets to be World Cop.
I’m sure that’ll be *FUN*
OT Boondoggle meet Moondoggle? DARPA has awarded defense contractor Northrop Grumman a contract to create a concept roadmap for a lunar railroad.
https://payloadspace.com/darpa-funds-pie-in-the-sky-moon-train-study/
Make that DERPA?
Elon will have that thing up and running while they are still reviewing and redoing their plans…and he’ll do it on his own private dime like it’s supposed to be. Then when he charges a fare, I can hear them screaming now, it should be free! You know, like it would be if gov ever actually built it. Free. Heh.
“I can hear them screaming now, it should be free!”
Hah! Heinlein wrote precisely this great scene in “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.” (The item that “should be free” was air.)
That quote, TANSTAAFL, and grok are three of my permanent debate components…
To be fair, Putin befriended Solzhenitsyn & now makes his books required reading in Russian schools (Except “200 Years together” which is hard as hens’ teeth to find a copy of).
Putin routinely references key concepts coined by Solzhenitsyn, for example, he mentioned “The Golden Billion” in his talk with Carlson. This is an important phrase that Solzhenitsyn used to express how an unprecedented number of spoiled naive brats have been driving the world blindly, perhaps soon off a cliff.
Maybe Putin doesn’t really believe in anything but power, but is at least wise & creative enough in his pursuit of it to try a more Orthodox Christian, which is to say, Neo-Byzantine approach to getting & keeping it.