Authoritarian chapters in world history are repeating, and the red flags have been waving for a while now. However, it seems that many continue to dismiss them.
Authoritarian red flags are abundant.
Authoritarians tend to look as though they “suddenly” rose to power. That’s not the case, they simply followed the path of least resistance to people’s biases. This actually can take a long time in some instances, but it is based on normalizing the insanity of their rhetoric. Soon enough, those who were not paying attention will realize they were asleep at the wheel.
I can ask right now many westerners, and that includes many Americans a simple question. Who is the current, and duly elected president of the United States of America? And a very high percentage of the population I’ve cited will give you the wrong answer. By the way, it is President Joe R. Biden – and he has been the US President since he won the election in 2020.
Authoritarian and adversarial regimes will want you to think that is not the case. Or that he was not duly elected. In fact, it is part of their official narrative. As a rule of thumb, if you think that something might be against the USA, then listen to the state-sponsored propaganda from an adversarial regime. If it matches the words coming out of the mouth of your favorite talking head, that should perk your ears up.
Authoritarians, “authoritarians-wanna” be, and their useful foolish acolytes are fairly easy to spot – surprise! They will have any if not all of these attributes I’m about to mention, either as a person or as a collective. Of course, an authoritarian is only as powerful as their followers, so if their acolytes subscribe to that behavior, then it becomes a multiplier – although it is a lot more fragile than they realize.
This is a non-all-inclusive list, but should get you started:
· They are petulant, which will display their obvious narcissism.
· They are wimps. They will have a thin skin for criticism, and will retaliate ten if not million-fold for any little bit of criticism.
· They will gaslight their own supporters, they will ask you not to believe your lying eyes or ears – and let alone do your own research.
· They will “unify” their acolytes, but they will be very divisive with everybody else. Even former acolytes who fell out of favor will be severely punished – even if through words or any other form of humiliation.
· They are NEVER wrong – in their minds, and will do any types of mental gymnastics to justify their rationale. Which usually lacks substance or merits.
· They will have no shortage of legal trials or other history of somebody who has been F-in-the-A by them, literally and figuratively. They will always claim innocence.
· They will ask for immunity to do whatever they want, because they intend to do what they want without any limits or accountability.
· They will insult their opposition, give them sophomoric nicknames, and generally surround themselves with people who are just as shallow as they are.
· They will surround themselves by “yes men and women” – because they cannot take criticism, and this by the way is unsustainable, because then all these spineless people become a rubber stamp to their narcissism.
· They will objectify men and women, and especially attractive people will be paraded more as trophies and a commodity, rather than a person.
· They will dehumanize others outside their circle, and even their own insiders will be punished if for some reason they are outside the circle of obedience.
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
Are you placing yourself on the wrong side of history?
I can go on with my list, but hopefully that will help the mind-wheels to start turning. In my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools I expand on this topic. If you have fallen victim to this trend, don’t beat yourself up – for too long. But do something about it. This is what you can do:
Stop giving an authoritarian your undivided attention and loyalty, because you don’t mean jack-s-t to them already, and the very second you become inconvenient to them you’ll be fittingly disposed. In fact, you’ve probably have seen many on their orbit who had a high position being disposed of, very unceremoniously, and often in a cruel manner to be “made an example” for others.
When somebody asks for unlimited loyalty, that is a red flag – because that means they will ask you do some stuff you will probably regret later. If you don’t take heed and still keep doing whatever that you are doing to support the authoritarian despite the fact your life just got f-ked – well, they love that, because that means you’re exactly the kind of dumb muscle they need to keep their narcissistic existence from collapsing.
The catch is that authoritarianism is not sustainable. Not one authoritarian in history has thrived forever, their circle of trust became a circle of obedience, and little by little it shrank to the point they were all against each other. Yes, the same team who was first “against the rest of the world” – becomes a dog-eat-dog bunch. How to defeat and prevent this from taking over your life is by paying attention to the red flags I mentioned. HLC
Today in America 03MAR2024 – Half Life Crisis www.halflifecrisis.com
There is so much occurring simultaneously in the national discourse that the truth tends to be muddied up. Today I bring clarity to these many issues.
This article will be broken down into a few parts in order to segment some of the craziness. It is going to be a bumpy ride, and although it will be a long article, this is the very top of the tip of the iceberg. An open mind is advisable to read these passages, because it will shed some light on information that tends to be redacted in some news outlets and from the voices of many pundits & other influencers.
The good news is that I am truly independent, therefore I have no political motivation. I am, however, very much against misinformation, because that affects us all – regardless of which side of the political spectrum we lean towards. Enjoy the ride!
Trump is not “that” rich.
In case this is the first time you see it, Trump had to admit via his attorneys that he does not have the amount of cash he used brag to the entire world he had. For many of us, realizing that Trump was nowhere as rich as he claimed to be it is not surprising. It might however finally dissuade a lot of his loyal followers in the MAGA base to finally leave him. The reason is because many MAGA followers just tolerated his antics because they thought he was a multi billionaire.
In case you were not aware, Trump recently lost two separate civil cases and was ordered to pay several million dollars in compensation. Most of his supporters still think it is a “witch hunt” perpetrated by President Biden. Of course that isn’t the case, and these problematic cases of sexual assault and fraud he was found liable in two separate courts, occurred well before the Biden Presidency or the Trump Presidency [for that matter] even started. Here is a quick synopsis of these two cases.
Both of these cases were handled by his attorney Alina Habba, who has been touted by her peers [meaning other attorneys] as highly incompetent. Whatever the case, she is to my knowledge the only attorney who has cost her client almost half a billion dollars.
Trump’s Civil Fraud Case.
Trump was fund liable from swindling many investors through the span of several years. Trump was directed to pay $355 million in penalties plus interests. But the total figure starts at $454 million because it also includes people in Trumps orbit, to include his two elder sons. The interest for the payments Trump owes each passing day he does not pay is $87,502 – and by the way the verdict took place on February 16, 2024. So, this figure just keeps climbing more and more.
This case of course found out that he was lying about his wealth and that he overinflated his assets to get loans, and undervalued them when it was time to pay taxes. The fact is that if he is unable to have this interest rate from rapidly accruing, that on its own is enough to ascertain that he simply does not have the cash to pay, or even to appeal the case. Trump said he was going to appeal, but he needs to post the money upfront to guarantee he will pay if he loses again. Which will likely be the case.
The fact is that neither banks, nor attorneys are lining up to support Trump. Trump also asked to pay only just north of $100 million [or a fraction of what it is required] to appeal. That was denied to him as it would have been denied to anybody in a similar situation. Trump went onto making some unusual fund-raising events, which included selling some hideous $400 golden shoes and a $100 cologne that by the way sold-out, but won’t be making it to their customers hands until the Summer.
Another thing that sprouted, even if by proxy, was at least one Go-fund me campaign, and people were contributing to pay the legal fees of this billionaire. There seems also to be some course of action of utilizing GOP campaign funds for his legal troubles. But my understanding is that would be highly illegal. Which by the way, there is another case under that premise – this time for paying hush money to a porn star.
Bottomline, Trump said via his attorneys that if he pays the entire amount [even as a bond], which is close to half a billion dollars penalty, he would have to start selling some of his real state. So, let’s put that in perspective. Trump was ordered to pay that amount because he was found that he defrauded a bunch of people. You know, as in taking their money, and now he does not have the money. In other words, it was spent – not properly invested to grow. This realization might finally be what turns off some of his base who considered him a financial genius.
Trump sexual abuse case.
On May 9, 2003 Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll in 1996. Trump was directed to pay $5 million. But this case is a lot more nuisance than Trump simply being found liable for sexual assault, which under the New York statutes it is just different language that in fact found Trump liable of raping Carroll. Yes, they found and were able to provide proof that Trump is a rapist.
What some people might not realize about this case is that the statute of limitations has already expired, and although Carroll was unable to go against Trump back in the 90’s – remember, these were very different times. We have come a long way to being able to speak truth to power. For some of us who were alive in the 90’s I can assure you that the world has moved forward by leaps and bounds, yet there are many who want to return back to the most short-sighted blunders in those years.
However, as the story re-surfaced, Trump started bad mouthing Carroll and made some very defamatory remarks against her. The case went to court, Trump kept making some very low brow and insulting remarks in true Trump fashion style against Carroll – many of these remarks from very prominent platforms. You know, double down and triple down. So, the case ended up going to court for defamation. This of course backfired on Trump, because not only he was stuck with a $5 million award payable to Carrol, but he also got all his sexual abuse past come to light. It did not end there.
As expected, Trump was not happy at all with this, therefore he double down, and disparaged Carroll again. And this once again backfired. Remember, the case was already settled that Trump raped Carroll. Adding to the miscalculation, Trumps attorney, Alina Habba managed to make things a lot worse for Trump, turning this $5 million original award into a whopping $83.3 million award, as Carroll won her case for defamation again. It is very likely that Trump was the master mind directing Habba to say whatever is it that she said in the trial. Of course, that was not a good strategy.
One thing is clear, Trump has not paid a dime yet for either one of these millionaire awards against him. Which makes you think, if he really was a billionaire, paying off and then appealing could be a lot easier than accruing all this additional debt in interests, not to mention all the negative media attention that it puts on his supposed fortune. For now, only some of his most fervent MAGA supporters are still onboard and will pay their hard-earned money to help a billionaire pay his legal obligations. Food for thought.
Credit the link below to the Associated Press (AP) who is tracking Trump’s many criminal and civil cases. They have a huge team of journalists who can do that in real time; it is only me writing for the Half Life Crisis site at this time.
Hunter Biden handed GOP House Representatives their own butts.
In a different part of our bizarre political discourse, the GOP have been hell-bent in an unsuccessful effort to impeach President Biden. Bottomline, they have zero evidence. If the evidence to impeach Biden existed it would have been plastered all over the planet, and there would be non-stop coverage of it. That has not happened, nor will it, because what the GOP members are alluding towards simply does not exist.
In an effort to find some compromising links to Joe Biden, the GOP has been very adamant on pursuing dead-end leads related to the President’s son, Hunter Biden. For context, Hunter Biden is a recovering addict, and in the past, he had done some shenanigans, and has gotten in some trouble before. However, he has always made a conscientious effort to keep his father out of the spotlight, because he understands how important this is to his father’s public service.
For context Hunter Biden was still a young boy when Biden was elected to his first term in Congress. Fast forward, there have been a lot of allegations trying to tie Hunter Biden to his father. One of those sources was a former FBI informant who also was recently arrested because he was working with Russian intelligence in a concerted effort to interfere in US politics. And yes, that was the GOP’s star witness.
For some time, the GOP have been trying to corner Hunter Biden in many insidious ways. Even having sexually explicit images of him shown in the House Floor by Georgia Representative Majorie Taylor Greene. Yes, that happened! She showed what could be best described as revenge porn showing nude photos of Hunter Biden engaging in sexual intercourse during an official hearing.
And to add insult to injury, the GOP controlled House of representatives wanted to have Hunter Biden testify in a closed-door session – even though they had made this matter public to the entire country as the story of the century. Well, this was originally rejected, and Biden even showed up to Congress when they were deliberating about holding him in contempt of Congress – yet the GOP rejected the option of Hunger to testify in front of the whole country right there and there. You know, calling their bluff.
Fast forward to last week, and Hunter Biden did show up to a closed-door session, and handed the House GOP butts to them. The transcript is pretty long, but it is worth reading. The GOP Representatives tried to spin it as though it was a win, but for anybody with a 4th grade reading comprehension, you would be able to identify what the reality of the situation is all about. And the fact that it was political theater came full circle.
All this waste of taxpayer money and congressional man hours was nothing but a gigantic waste of time many of us realized years ago. There is no actual evidence to impeach Biden.
I recommend reading the entire transcript on the link below. It’s pretty long, but it is worth it. It might make you mad, or laugh in a tragically hilarious manner.
Reproductive rights are being threatened in the country.
You’ve probably been familiar with the overturn of Roe vs Wade by the Supreme Court that occurred in 2022. This is of course one of Trump’s supposedly proudest moments. And yes, this was possible because the three Supreme Court Justices confirmed under Trump were very much in favor of overturning Roe vs Wade – even though they denied during their confirmation hearings to be inclined to do exactly that.
Just like many of us realized that they were going after Roe vs Wade making abortions illegal and a lot more restrictive depending on each state – the situation was not likely going to end there. How do we know? Because the indicators of moving a certain “theocratical” political agenda has been plastered on the wall all along.
There is a certain group of “Christian Nationalists” – which is not the same as Christians from all stripes. In other words, not every Christian is a Christian Nationalist. Many Christians actually disavow Christian Nationalists as extremists who happen to use Christianity as a platform to push a political agenda. And Christian Nationalists are not shy about expressing that they want THEIR version of Christianity to be the rule of the land. In other words, a theocracy based on their particular interpretation. And yes, many of them are elected leaders.
For better or worse, this is actually a very unpopular stance – and in each and every one of the last several local, state, and national elections, the so called “pro-life” candidates have been defeated or severely underperformed at the ballot. Why is that? Because “Pro-Choice” does not equal “Pro-abortion.” In other words, the majority of Americans understand the difference, and how each case is unique. Further, they understand that the life and safety of the mother could be at severe risk with certain pregnancy complications.
And of course, most people are not onboard with forcing a woman to carry a pregnancy to full term, if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. Especially considering that some young women get raped while they are still children themselves. For example, should a 13-year-old be forced to carry to term the child of her rapist? When Roe vs Wade was overturned, it now makes it illegal for this 13-year-old not be forced to carry a rapist child to term. Think about that for a second – what if that 13-year-old young lady was YOUR child?
The fact is that what we are observing is authoritarian rhetoric disguised as morality under theocratic rules. This situation is running rampant in America, and it has been largely normalized. Why? Because there are Christians all over the place, even though many fail to realize that their denomination is one of a few thousands in the world. Yes, there are several Christian denominations, and they don’t agree in a lot of their doctrines – hence they have their own denomination.
Although many Christian denominations agree on certain points, there is a lot more than they disagree with. Want an example? Sure, how similar are the doctrines between the Jehovah Witnesses and the Latter-Day Saints? How similar or different are the rituals between Catholics and Pentecostals? How about the guys who handle dangerous snakes during service, or those who worship in the nude?
Yes, those are all just a few examples of devoted Christians. Would you go to the nude service or the venomous snake-handling service? So, under that logic, then you might not be ok if “a particular” denomination of Christianity becomes the theocratic rule of the land. That is why there is separation of church and state I the USA. Also, why churches get a tax exemption as long as they stay off the political discourse. Although we all know that many churches are not only violating that law, but they are also very cavalier about pushing politics from the pulpit.
Some states have a higher concentration of politically charged religious following. One of these places is Alabama, where recently, In-Vitro Fertilization or IVF is under attack, because they’re considering the cells in a petri dish being already a person. Yes, this IVF has JUST become an issue – just a few days ago. And it is taking traction on other states – mostly red states. And if you think this is not expanding think again.
And by the way, there are many Christians who used IVF in order to become parents. Now, this IVF procedure is in jeopardy because some people interpret their scriptures differently, and want to force everybody to interpret them in the same manner. And yes, it is affecting also law-abiding Christians and non-Christians.
If you are a Christian – especially, if you’re a Christian, you might want to realize that there is a particular denomination which wants to take over the way YOU worship. Yes, I am serious. This is happening. If you want to call them false prophets, or swindlers or opportunists, that’s YOUR choice. And keep in mind that there is a segment of people who use religion as a way to prevent you from having ANY choice in the near turn.
For example, did you know that there is a bill being proposed in Virginia right now that is endorsed mostly by state-GOP legislators who want to make it a lot harder to get contraception over the counter? So, think about this for a moment, there are people hell bent in not only limiting your options should a person get an unwanted pregnancy, but they are also making it harder to not get pregnant in the first place!
In other words, they are somehow working towards legislating about sexual intercourse between consenting adults. I wish I was being hyperbolic, but just like Roe vs Wade and other indicators of theocracy working to replace our democratic system, this very much seems to be in the horizon. Of course, that most people might not want to see it as such, because when we talk about religion it tends to hit a nerve on a great segment of the population… because they think it is singling THEM out.
Well, that is not the case, the reality is that a few are trying to impose their version of religion onto all of us while using the very same religious protections to hide their agenda, which is to ultimately negate religious freedom to the rest of the country.
There is a lot more to explore on this topic, and I plan on writing a full article and perhaps other additional content on this, because it will become a lot more significant sooner than later. And if you think there are not people in high positions pushing for this to become the norm, think again.
The Supreme Court is perceived as MAGA-biased.
Lately the United States Supreme Court has been perceived as biased by a very large segment of Americans. The reality is that there is an evident power dynamic difference. If you have been paying attention, you’ll know that the great majority of the justices are very conservative. And as I mentioned, three of them were recently confirmed during Trump’s term.
This is a good time to bring current Minority Senate Leader, Mitch McConnell who was the de-facto catalyst to pack the court with highly conservative, and MAGA friendly justices. And McConnel is also the person responsible for denying President Obama from adding his nominated Justice to the Supreme Court, because that was during Obama’s last year in office. Yet, McConnel pushed a conservative judge in the last year of Trump’s office.
For any of us paying attention, we realized this tactic from the start. He was going to pack the courts, not just the supreme court but a lot of other courts in the country – to get a higher level of political advantage with like-minded people. Some might say that is an unfair assertion, yet the proof to this assessment has come through via many cases that have gravitated towards conservative goals. IVF is one such case. There are plenty more, but not many of those cases make it to the national headlines.
But the scrutiny of the conservative Justices has also gathered more momentum after their decision to hear the case for Trump’s eligibility to be in the Colorado ballot. This of course will put a delay on a resolution for other cases that are related to why the State of Colorado supreme court found that Trump’s election interference and role for the January 6 insurrection makes him ineligible to run for office.
And if you think for a few seconds about this concern to have Trump back in office, it makes perfect sense. Trump has 91 criminal charges spanning several court cases, has been very vocal about some very divisive rhetoric, he was found to be a fraud and a rapist – and that is just a fraction of the many red flags anybody who is paying attention sees about Trump. Hence, most Americans voted against him in 2020. The difference is that he has alienated a lot of his base from that time. And a lot of his supporters have not been afforded the full story either… so they might jump ship once the truth also reaches their eyes and ears.
Well, unsurprisingly the Justices who were appointed by Trump and other conservative justices are very much onboard with seeing Trump to run for another term, despite the myriad of criminal and civil cases against him. And this is not me – as the author of this article – trying to put the integrity of the US Supreme Court in question – as far as how objective they are when it comes to political discourse. This is the common consensus from many people reporting on this topic.
But what I will say is that the rulings and the precedent for each case do raise a lot of questions. And one of the fears most people have is that there is a clear bias towards one segment of the population and a disenfranchisement of another – an even larger segment of the same population. The proof is that the most “conservative” doctrines have not been popular at the ballot. It is especially noteworthy that the MAGA segment of the Republican party is dwindling. Even though, many remaining MAGAs are still very vocal.
I linked this article to tell you more about the particular case regarding Trump’s eligibility to hold office. Credit to the New York Times. Even if you don’t agree with them, fact check them with media sources from all political sides – you’ll see the pattern soon enough.
Conflicts continue to ramp up, and they are likely related.
And with the political discourse, we also have to realize that we have a very real linkage to the larger geopolitical stance of the United States on the world stage. What we have to remember is that what happens in the USA resonates with the rest of the world with ripple effects that are mind-bending to some, and very clearly evident to others who can see the links to these events from a different vantage point.
What does that mean? It means that even the situations who seen tangentially related at best, or totally unrelated are very much part of the same construct. They are just not as evident when seeing it from a particular vantage point. And that would not be a person’s fault, they are just not afforded that vantage point to see the big picture.
For an illustrative example let’s say you’re in a valley, and you are at the bottom of the valley inside a forest. You might not be able to see the mountains around you, or even what is just a few yards from your vantage point. But if you climb the mountain, you’ll have a much larger view of the valley and where everting seems to be located. From there, you will be able to further explore with ease each area because you will have a better idea of how the terrain is laid out.
In geopolitics it is very much the same. For people who are in their own echo chambers, or political bubbles – they will not be able to see how the events are laid out and how they relate to one another. The way you can ascend this illustrative mountain is by understanding context. This context raises your awareness of what is going on, and from there you can see the road leading to each event. Keep in mind that each stage is going to have an inherited level of complexity, and it is meant to discourage people from keeping on climbing.
When I wrote my book AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA The Puppet Master Tools, I provided some tools on how to see this context in ways that will help you climb to a better vantage point. The geopolitical realm is complex, and it is also very contentious. And the end result of many adversarial nations is to negate the USA from remaining the premiere nation in the world – and give an open avenue for adversarial regimes to take the USA’s place. This has been happening for a while, and they will succeed unless we realize what its going on under our own noses.
I’ve said it before and it is worth repeating. There are insider threats integrated within the confines of the United States of America, and in many countries that are allied or partnered with the USA. Insider threats come in two big categories:
1. Witting Insider Threats:
These are people who are performing actions and supporting adversarial narratives and carrying out their desires willingly. In other words, they are very cognizant that what they are doing goes against the USA and its influence in the world. Even if they disguise themselves as patriotic.
2. Unwitting insider Threat
These are people who are too stupid to realize they are doing everything the witting insider threat is also doing, but they are just not aware they are complicit. This latter one is a lot more dangerous than the first one, because they are easily manipulated.
And it is worth repeating that there are a lot of people in Capitol Hill and in other prominent platforms who are repeating and parroting those adversarial talking points verbatim! I will be dedicating specific content to identifying how this works and how to defend against it. Remember that these insider threats tend to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. They will seem patriotic and even probably drape themselves in the regalia that screams USA – but they are repeating the points from their adversaries.
An easy way to see if that is the case is by looking at state-sponsored propaganda and news from an adversarial nation. How do you know it might be an adversarial nation? Well, if it is solely run by the state, then that means that the freedom of press is non-existent, and all narratives must concur with the government or be silenced. So that is already a good pointer, because the USA has freedom of speech [at least for now], and you’re able to speak your mind without the government coming to violently retaliate against you and everything you’ve ever loved.
We still have this freedom we are very much taking for granted and there are a lot of nations who have recently lost it. They didn’t pay attention to the same indicators I am mentioning, and it was likely there was somebody just like me trying to raise awareness, and he or she ended up screaming into a void. I’m trying to change that trend, and fortunately there are many who see what I am seeing – we are just not communicating together effectively. That is what I want to change through my writing. HLC
Russia Ukraine Two Years Later – Half Life Crisis www.halflifecrisis.comIt has been two years since Russia’s military forces crossed the Ukrainian border, and this senseless war rages on with no end. What has the world learned?
A protracted war with no end in sight.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is one of the most significant geopolitical events in our lifetimes. While millions around the world go about their lives without a second thought, Ukrainians have been under threat of death and violence every single day for the last two years. There is only one person on this planet who can immediately stop this conflict, and that person is Russian President Putin. Though he has made it clear that he is not interested in ending this war anytime soon.
If you are new to this series, I’ve written several articles about it on this site. I recommend you to read the previous articles before continuing with this one. Of course, you’re also welcome to read this article first before working your way back in time. The words on those have remained as true back then as they remain true today.
But more importantly, the premise for this war has not only continued to morph, but in some people’s weird mental gymnastics’ twists, it has also doubled down on some of the less credible claims. Anybody who digs just below the surface to find context will be able to see what the international courts have agreed. This conflict is a crime against humanity, and like it or not, the entire world is involved because of it.
Setting the record straight.
I’ve said it before, it is worth repeating. On February, 24, 2022 it was not the Ukraine military who crossed the border to their neighboring country. Instead, initially the official narrative from Russia regarding this so called “special military operation” was meant to “liberate” Ukrainians who happen to be ethnically and ideologically aligned with Russia. After two years of war, it is safe to ascertain that Ukrainians do not agree with the official Russian rhetoric in regards to this conflict.
Recently, ex-Fox News host, Tucker Carlson travelled to Moscow to “interview” the incumbent Russian President. I put “interview” in quotations, because despite Tucker calling himself a journalist, his interaction with Putin was less than stellar, and likely highly controlled by the Kremlin. Russia is historically known for framing information on very specific ways. And it is also well known that dissent with the official narrative has been met with severe punitive measures.
Was Carlson aware or cognizant that saying something provocative towards Putin could put himself under duress? I would ascertain that given the tenor of their in-camera meeting, Putin was in full control of that narrative, and even the small push back Carlson hinted at, it was met by Putin with overwhelming mockery and downright humiliation against Carlson. Many of Carlson’s fans think he was brilliant during this interview with Putin, but most people in the rest of the planet disagree with them. Putin was a former KGB agent, who is very savvy in human intelligence and it would be very naïve to think he was not going to be able to take full control of the interview.
And Putin did take control of the interview from the very start, after mocking Carlson in the first few minutes, he went on to speak for more than a half hour about his understanding of Russian history. Many historians do not agree with Putin’s historical recount. However, Carlson obviously did not have enough historical acumen to ask relevant follow up questions, even though I would not be surprised that Putin would have not tolerated even a single poignant follow up question. How do I know? Because even soft-ball questions were met with mockery and humiliation.
Why am I talking about this interview? Because it is very relevant to the geopolitical stability of the country. It would be very naïve to think that Putin and the incumbent Russian government did not understand the value to have Tucker Carlson as the megaphone to Putin’s voice to a western audience. Putin has been very cognizant and vocal about saying how divided we are here on the west (no surprise there), yet he has not been able to speak directly to the American people. Particularly those Americans who are very receptive to what he had to say.
And if you have heard and read the comments post-interview, a lot of Americans who happen to like Tucker found a lot of affinity and devotion for Putin. In other words, Putin’s tactics worked as a charm. And that is an important topic, because like it or not, Carlson’s audience have a proclivity for repeating Russian talking points verbatim, even if they haven’t realized it. And of course, these talking points are cleverly disguised as “American Patriot” points, but they are in fact very divisive in nature. Much like any swindle, it will look very reasonable superficially, but if you scrutinize it a bit, the math will start showing a lot of dead ends.
Yet propaganda, and narratives that have a particular agenda to move rhetoric into action are designed to be very palatable. In fact, they will look enticing, and even fire up the spirit of a person to “fight” against whatever perceived enemy is pinned in front of them. But again, it is not just about what is being said, but HOW it is said. There are a lot of subtleties in the way a narrative is presented. It is subjective, but there is a reason why some people can elicit higher levels of human emotion. It is a trick as old as time itself. Most swindlers will seem legitimate to the untrained eye, that is why they can get away with it.
And if a person falls for that, well – don’t’ feel too bad, because these traps are designed in a way that it is very easy to fall for them. The difference is that they are a lot more complex than most people will realize. Like an illusionist will divert your attention, similarly, a propagandist will move your perception in a manner that it will make the victim perceive the actual answer as counterintuitive. Again, it is designed to be that way, and it is a sinister art form. In my book AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA The Puppet Master Tools, I dedicate an entire chapter to talk about that sinister artform.
So, it was not surprising that Carlson’s audience found Putin’s words enticing. Many of Carlson’s fans even praised Putin for reciting history off-the-cuff. Which is extremely naïve to think Putin did not have that already planned out, because he knows that it would impress some people to whom he was really talking – Carlson’s audience. And they sure assimilated Putin’s message exactly as he intended it. There was no shortage of disparaging comments against Ukraine, the United States, the American people, NATO, and other U.S. & world interests. And of course, there was huge praise about Putin and Carlson, even though Carlson was emasculated a bunch of times during the interview.
Putin spoke unchallenged for more than two hours, and Carlson barely had a word in, and any time he said something that could seem provocative, Putin humiliated him. I repeat this, because this seems to be the part that Carlson’s fans are missing. And yes, all this part ties to the conflict with Ukraine.
Two years into a war that started several years earlier.
Russia Ukraine 302 Days later – Half Life Crisis www.halflifecrisis.com
It is heartbreaking that a lot of people in a peaceful part of the world do not really stop to think about the pain and suffering that has been raging in Ukraine. If you live comfortably today in your home, look around you… Now just imagine everything that is in your home is destroyed, the walls have fallen, there is no clean water, and even if you have few moments of electricity, you don’t know when the next bombing raid will hit your town, and kill your loved ones.
Your job, gone! Your loved ones, killed! Your memories and everything you ever loved, destroyed! Maybe you were lucky enough to survive and leave, leaving your home and everything you worked your whole life behind. You only have the clothes on your back, and everything you ever collected, cherished, enjoyed, saved, loved, remembered – has been destroyed! If you had a job, you cannot longer do that because your place of work does not exist anymore, and you don’t know how much worse each day will be, and often each new day is harder than the last.
The human toll in Ukraine is not only the deaths, but we have millions of people displaced, whose lives have been destroyed, yet for two years they have not stopped fighting. Their homes, their lives, their families, their children, their loved ones, and their very existence forever damaged because one day a neighboring country crossed and remains on their land.
Do this quick exercise with me to illustrate: Imagine you are in your home living peacefully, and one of your kids happens to get along with the neighbors, and have a lot in common. Then one day your neighbor comes into your house and wants to take over your kid’s bedroom inside your house and tell you (the parents) this kid is no longer your kid, and that the neighbors are also taking custody of his bedroom. And if you do anything to prevent that they will “liberate your kid” with overwhelming violence against you if you don’t agree to this madness. And they will punish your kid severely if the kid does not agree to this crazy arrangement.
For a while you think this is preposterous, there is no way your neighbor can do anything about it. Yet, you call the authorities, but for some reason they say that it is also preposterous and that it won’t ever happen. You’re worried the neighbor will take your child and take over his bedroom, but few people seem to agree with you, and let you fend for yourself. Afterall, this neighbor tends to have a bad temper, and they don’t want to get involved, because they fear that getting involved would also result in retaliation against them.
Because of all the clamoring you’ve been making about this neighbor threat, finally some people kind of listen to you, and ask the neighbor if his plan of taking over the child’s bedroom and “liberate this kid” from his parents is true. The neighbor denies that, and says that is preposterous. The next day, the neighbor enters the house and takes over the bedroom holding the kid hostage, and when you as the parents are trying to save your kid, the neighbors start destroying the kid’s bedroom, and attacking you (the parents), and destroying the rest of your house. This goes on for a while and nobody is helping you against this neighbor who is taking over your house.
To make matters worse, you were warned that you cannot go to the neighbor’s house and destroy their home in retaliation. Some of your other neighbors lend you something to fight back this aggressive neighbor, but they warn you that you can only use it if they walk inside your house, you’re not allowed to use any of those against their house as an offensive weapon. Meanwhile, your child remains stuck in his bedroom with the neighbors, and little by little the neighbors have people come from all corners of your house and start destroying different areas in your house, and tell everybody else in the world that it is your fault that this is happening to you, because you should have just let them take your kid and his bedroom, and be good with it.
Of course, the reality in Ukraine is a lot more complex than the analogy I just posed to you. But I’ve noticed that putting something in perspective tends to help others empathize with what is really going on. People are suffering, we might not see it, but they are experiencing hell on Earth. And if you think this could not happen to you in your cozy corner of the world, think again. Even a lot of Ukrainians and European allies thought it was preposterous that Russia was going to cross the border into Ukraine and start a war. I predicted this was going to happen, and it pains me that I was right, just as many others who ascertained the same were also right. But that does not make it any less painful for Ukraine.
I’ve said before, and I will keep saying it. History is repeating itself, and for those who ignored the lessons learned, they will become victims of the same tactics that occurred in years past. And this is another reason why I keep writing. Fortunately, more people are reading what I am saying, and hope this message resonates. But I cannot help but feel uneasy that the message is not resonating fast enough, because those who want to destroy us all have already traveled a very long trek before I even made it to the starting line. But that does not mean we cannot still win the race.
And that might actually be an advantage on this case, because the adversary is likely to take their victory for granted, much like they took for granted their perception that Ukraine would fall quickly and swiftly. Two years of war is not quick at all, yet people keep getting killed and wounded every day, and their futures shattered every time they try to rebuild their lives. Let’s be clear that what is happening in Ukraine is not only horrific, but the daily massacre also counts as crimes against humanity.
Many Ukrainians did warn that Russia was coming for more after they took the Crimea peninsula a few years before. Russia originally thought that the Donbas area in Ukraine was going to be just as easy, and that they would be received as liberators. Well, if that was the case, this whole conflict would have been settled a long time ago. Instead, it became the most significant geopolitical conflict in our lifetimes. And although it is not the only one, it is definitely a lot more mind-bending than many people realize.
Let’s put this in perspective very quickly. Nobody has told the incumbent Russian president “NO” in more than two decades. His circle of advisors is “yes men & women” – and no matter how erroneous his perspective might be, they will not contradict him. This is very usual in any society that has a very centralized and galvanized power structure. The penalty for dissent tends to be very punitive. So that’s a starting point to understand this situation.
During the Tucker Carlson “interview,” Putin went on for over a half hour on a revisionist version of history. Historians would be able to tell you how many plots points he missed. Of course, this was not challenged by Tucker… because what the hell does he know about Russian history? Afterall, Tucker was amazed by the world-famous Metro station in Moscow which was created in great part as political propaganda during the times Stalin ruled over the Soviet Union. One of the reasons why this structure is so grand is because Stalin diverted funds from people’s tables to make this impressive project a reality – which was by the way supposed to demonstrate how “wonderful” was the Soviet Union. Of course, they don’t talk about all the people who starved to fund this place.
On a different side of the spectrum, Tucker was even amazed by the grocery store coin system to return shopping carts. This narrow level of understanding of history is highly exploitable, and again it is very likely why Putin was after Tucker Carlson’s audience. It is very likely Carlson’s audience won’t be doing any fact-checking on Putin’s revisionist history.
Not to imply that they are dumb, because not everybody knows very much about foreign history. Hell, I can tell you right now that if I ask most American-born citizens to name all original 13 Colonies, or the history behind the “Louisiana Purchase,” or about the acquisition of Alaska, they would have no F-ing clue about those either. Therefore, a revisionist version of Russian history would have been very impressive for them, if there is a world leader who seems to be reciting history off-the-cuff. It was not off-the-cuff, THAT’s his strategy!
Everything that was said by Putin was likely very much calculated, and although he is surrounded by “yes men & women” – that does not negate the fact he still has a lot of practical knowledge with years of experience. This is not praise for Putin, it is a mathematical fact. If you’re doing something for a long time, even if you’re not stellar at it, just by the simple fact you’re existing in that environment, you’re bound to pick up some information that is useful. But of course, Putin was not infallible, and it is not unlikely that his advisors (euphemism for his yes men & women), conceded that the invasion of Ukraine was going to be an easy task.
Obviously, that was not the case, Russia has lost several warships in very embarrassing ways, and they have also damaged tons of military equipment beyond recognition. The fact is that a lot of Russian soldiers do not want to be there fighting in Ukraine in the first place. A sizable number of the Russian military is due to conscription, which was actually mobilized to the front lines, because Russian soldiers were dying like flies.
So, what happened? Well, it is sad to say, because any loss of life is tragic. Russian soldiers were not ready for combat, period. They were dragged from all the less affluent places in Russia (euphemism for poorest areas), and were not given enough time for training, nor equipment before they were in the front lines. There have been many reports of Russians buying their own gear, to include body armor. And for those who made it to the front lines, some of their more senior Soldiers were hazing them, and stealing from their own Russian conscripts.
The levels of desertion in the Russian military were rampant, and of course Russia cracked down on that with very stern and punitive measures. That is not surprising at all. We’ve spoken in a previous article about how even the mercenary groups were unhappy with the way Russia was conducting this war. And of course, the head of the Wagner Group who spoke against Putin, just so happened to have his plane fall out of the sky. And similarly, some powerful Russian oligarchs who were critical of Putin, also somehow suffered some very bizarre accidents, such as falling off balconies.
For a long time, it was illegal in Russia to call this conflict a “war.” And those who did ended up in prison or worse. The “correct term” was “special military operation” – and it has been bankrupting Russia ever since. But Russia does have a lot of cards under the sleeve. Let’s discuss.
The problem with Russia is that they already lost this war.
Despite the sustained combat, Russia has not won this war. Nor will it win because they are victims of a lose-lose situation of their own making. What does that mean? Simple, and I’ve spoken about it in previous articles on this series, it remains unchanged. Russia overestimated their success rate, and in the midst of trying to prove to the world they were capable, they made the mess even worse.
Russia Ukraine 334 Days later – Half Life Crisis www.halflifecrisis.com
This is their conundrum:
If Russia “wins” – they still lose. Because they have destroyed their economy, and killed so many of their fighting-age generation to a point that will affect Russia for generations. Also, on the Ukrainian side, Russia had polluted so many agricultural lands with ordinance, rendering those lands useless for who knows how many years, and PROPERLY fixing the agricultural lands alone would take a lot more money than Russia has ever made in its entire history as a country.
Not to mention all the infrastructure, the lines of communication, the ports, the cities, the displacement of civilians, the loss of military personnel and equipment, their obvious incompetence in several battles and the discovered corruption in the front lines against their own people. Those are well documented – by Russians soldiers themselves, in the front lines! Often by making cell phone videos, showing the reality of the situation to the world.
To fix this mess, it will take generations to resolve, and it will cost a lot more than Russia can ever pay for. And that of course affects every day Russian people. And let’s remember that Russians do not have the same economic power as we are accustomed here in the West. Which is by the way something Carlson clearly did not understand when he made a video of a supermarket in Moscow.
If Russia “loses” – And by losing, I mean that there is a cease fire because they cannot longer afford to fight, or are forced to stop fighting. Then all the costs associated with the paragraphs above (and more that I didn’t mention), PLUS all the legal charges for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and a bunch of additional punitive measures will compound. Furthermore, they will have to PAY for everything they broke, but they won’t have the luxury to do it on their own terms as would be the case in the previous paragraphs.
Any person with two brain cells to rub in the Russian strategic planning process likely have figured out what I just told you. It is common sense, though a lot of people don’t really have the time nor the inclination to think about it. Afterall, many people don’t really understand how important this conflict between Ukraine and Russia truly is. And I will be talking about how this affects the entire world shortly (below). And I can understand why this can be the case, the conflict seems to be “over there” and there are very deep links into history that can seem tangential for some. And quite frankly overwhelmingly complex.
And by complex, I also mean disheartening. Sure, it can be a downer for some people to think about the tragic suffering others are experiencing. It is easy to look the other way, and just focus on whatever we have going on in our own lives. That is a fair point, we all have problems that we are dealing with. But my point is that the people who are fighting for their lives every day in Ukraine have it a lot worse. It is easy to shut down and move on with our lives when the human toll is not as evident in our current reality.
And if this talk makes you feel uncomfortable, even just thinking about it… imagine for a second if you would have to live this tragedy, and there is no end in sight, and nobody is really coming to your rescue. They might give you some means to fight, but you have to fight alone. Because sure as hell the USA or NATO for that matter is NOT actually fighting with Ukraine. At best they are rooting for Ukraine with some means for them to defend themselves, but not fighting directly. And the reason is because doing so would start World War III (WW3). And Russia very well understands this.
Also, it is worth noting that there has not been any invasion of Ukraine into Russian territory. In other words, people in Russia are not getting their homes destroyed by military ordinance originating from Ukraine.
So, what is the only option Russia seem to have? Simple, blame somebody else. They have been trying to pining this war on the USA and NATO since well before February 22, 2022. I know for a fact; I spent time deployed in the Mediterranean while this conflict was still in its early months. And one thing we got to see was the levels of propaganda trying to taunt the USA or NATO to do something stupid – such as becoming responsible for starting WW3. Obviously, that has not worked in the last two years, so the Russian regime rhetoric would need to be more far reaching.
And the strategy seems to be creating more conflict and confusion, to include conflict in the United States of America – dividing our people. And do something similar with the NATO countries, or any other nation that could seem convenient towards that effort. What better way to destroy your enemy than by enticing them to divide themselves? That is why this Tucker Carlson interview is so important. The Russian regime likely needed to see a measuring rod to ascertain the effectiveness of their message in the minds and hearts of Tucker’s audience. And they got their metrics; especially via tweeter, and all the other social media platforms this video was streamed. What do you think Russia does with the names and statistical numbers of the people who comment in favor of Russia’s actions? Take a moment to think, I’ll meet you in the next paragraph.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ok, if you realized it that they will shove them a lot more information that will shape their already favorable perception of Putin, and demonize Ukraine, then you would be correct. It is also common sense. This technique is also used in marketing all the time to try to sell you stuff, but it works just as well when you are trying to push a particular narrative. Understand that the fall of Ukraine is extremely convenient to Putin and his acolytes.
And it is worth mentioning that Putin does not equal Russia as a whole. It is well documented that a lot of Russian citizens do not want to live under Putin’s rule, but they don’t have a choice. Recently the most prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed while in custody in a very harsh penal colony in Russia. And Navalny actually had enough of a chance to gain name recognition as Putin was still galvanizing his current level of power. Dissent is not tolerated in Russia, and if it is, then it seems bizarre that all Putin’s opposition leaders somehow end up incarcerated or killed. Coincidence? Also, even several powerful oligarchs who spoke out of turn lost their lives.
The fact is that most Russian people are actually super nice human beings. I know, because I’ve met several of them throughout my life, and they’re wonderful. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. People, no matter where you’re from, are more similar than different. But this level of similarities is extremely inconvenient to those who want to control us. Hence, those who want to divide us thrive on bigotry, so people who think they are superior will start doing the dirty work other cognizant people would not do – because actual good people understand that we are all human, and nobody is racially superior to anybody. We are all human beings.
And the fact is that it would be very naïve to think that all Russians approve of the war with Ukraine. Because they don’t, but again, there is not much they can do but comply, keep their head down, or risk very punitive actions. And if the Russian regime would claim that it is not true, then they would be ok if people go out on the streets and ask to stop the war. But the fact is that some Russian citizens were even arrested and punished for paying their respects after Navalny was killed earlier this month. And it is well documented that many were arrested for criticizing their government.
The ENTIRE world is involved, like it or not.
If I could make a wish, it would be for this war to end. But the only way this war will end is if President Putin decides to stop it. But he won’t. He was even very clear that if NATO stops giving support to Ukraine to defend itself, then the conflict will be done in a “few weeks” – understand what that means. He didn’t say, it will stop immediately. It means that he would keep fighting Ukrainians until they are defenseless or eliminated.
Russia Ukraine A Year Later – Half Life Crisis www.halflifecrisis.com
Let’s use the earlier example to illustrate what does that means. In the illustrative example we had your child being kidnapped in his bedroom in your own house and the neighbor who kidnapped your kid is destroying the rest of your house. You were given means to defend yourself by your neighbors, but you’re not allowed to go to your aggressive neighbor’s house and destroy their house, even if that would mean that you can get your son back, and get that bedroom back under your control, and have this aggressive neighbor stopping destroying your house. This fight has been going on for a while, but at some point, the tools your good neighbors give you will run out, and you have to fend for yourself, while your aggressive neighbor has an unlimited supply of tools to keep destroying your house and physically hurting you.
Sure, once you run out of weapons to defend yourself you might be able to fight for a little bit longer, but the battle will be over once you get overpowered. What do you think your aggressive neighbor is going to do once you run out of weapons? Obviously, he is going to hurt you even more, and take your kid, his bedroom, and probably your house after eliminating you. That is what would happen to Ukraine. So, let’s say for the sake of argument that this aggressive neighbor does exactly that. What makes you think he will not try to move to the next house in the neighborhood and keep doing exactly what he got away with, until he cannot get away with it anymore?
I mentioned it in a previous article, but it is worth repeating. Ukraine has a high level of strategic importance for Russia. This is not only a cultural issue, but it is also a very practical logistical advantageous area. Russia has a huge advantage which happens to be their disadvantage. Russia is huge, but it is stuck up high up on the Northern Hemisphere. This negates their freedom of movement from different ports, and of course it means that although gigantic, their actual useable lands are not as extensive as many would have guessed.
And the reason is because of the “habitable zone” – there is a reason why convicts used to be sent to Siberia as punishment. The conditions are extremely rugged and harsh over there. But so are many huge areas of the Russian land. Ukraine, although it is a lot smaller than Russia, it is also a gigantic country. But Ukraine also has a lot of climatic advantages due to its geography. Whenever you think about warfare, you have to understand geography. Mountains, ports, valleys, rivers, prairies, agricultural lands, climate, winds, currents, etc. Ukraine was known as the world’s bread basket for a reason.
In fact, the disruption of many ports caused a lot of famine to areas in other countries that imported grain and other food products from Ukraine. And now, a lot of those agricultural lands are highly polluted with the toxicity of exploited ordinance that has carpet bombed their country side. This is what I as saying earlier that will be a gigantic undertaking to properly sanitize in order to make those lands suitable for agriculture. Why? Because if you use that land with that toxic ordinance, you’re essentially eating poison.
So, let’s talk about the food situation for a moment. We have to realize that if the Ukrainian economy also derived in great part by the export of their agricultural production, that means that somebody was buying those products. The reason why those agricultural products were exported is because most of those countries importing them cannot grow these themselves. Should be obvious enough, but that means that if the Ukraine goods are no longer available, that creates food insecurity and scarcity into these other countries as well.
Another problem is the fact that even if the war stopped today, those agricultural lands won’t be able to produce food. The pollution from all that indiscriminate shelling and ordinance is exceedingly toxic, rendering whatever grows in those lands not suitable for human consumption. I mentioned it before, and it is worth mentioning again. Therefore, even if Russia ends up taking those lands, there is not much they can do with them because they are severely contaminated.
Meanwhile, the hunger and raising cost of food does not only get confined to Ukraine, but it extends to all those other countries who were depending on this agricultural production. And yes, many of those countries are in Africa, and sadly that is probably why some people have not given them a second thought. They just don’t make the media buzz as some more developed nations. But that does not mean that the suffering is not expanding a lot farther than the Ukrainian territory. And by the way, this has also affected food costs in other developed nations. They just don’t feel it as bad.
Military dissonance and rules of conflict.
To be perfectly honest on a related matter, though seemingly tangential to some, it can be extremely punitive to speak against the Russian government inside Russia. This creates unintended consequences, for instance their military service men are dwindling for two reasons. First because they keep getting killed in the front lines, and not only by Ukrainian firepower, but by sheer incompetence. There was a high level of attrition and desertion in the Russian military, not because they don’t love Russia. They do love Russia, but because they don’t trust the military personnel appointed over them.
I’ve mentioned this in a previous article on this series, but it is important to repeat it. Russia does not have the same level of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs)like the United States and other NATO allies. This is important because the NCOs are the subject matter experts on the enlisted side. This is an important “open secret” tool for any professional military. Because you can simply not “buy” experience. You might be able to “pay” for experience, but the experience needs to be honed by sets-and-reps doing something for a determined period of time, it does not happen overnight.
Russia does not have that experience and commitment at the level other countries do. First off, because most of the forces in the front line are conscripted. That means that they are NOT volunteers, but rather they got “voluntold” to do what they are doing. That alone is a huge handicap for anybody who is a professional military person to contend with. Because even volunteers who have their heart and soul into the mission take time and skill to become proficient at their duties and responsibilities.
Sadly, for them, because they are also human beings, a lot of the Russian military is not as cohesive as it might look on the surface. It is authoritarian for sure, because there are consequences for disobedience – particularly insubordination. But the myriad of other important military standards is not consistent. These are the words of Russian military people themselves in the front lines, via their own cell phone video, not mine. And if you watch those videos, you can see the shortcomings based in the quality of their gear, their logistics, and the overall command and control.
Russia lost a huge number of Flag Officers, such as generals. These high-ranking personnel have been killed largely due to incompetence. What does that mean? A Flag Officer has important duties that do not require them being where they were standing where they were killed inside Ukraine. The problem is that they could not trust their NCOs and their Senior and Junior Officers. Hence, necessitating the need for Flag Officers to step in into what is a de-facto demoted position that should have been filled by an Officer of a lesser rank.
But that is why I said, and it has been demonstrated, that Russian lack the professional military experience needed to be a formidable force. However, what they lack in experience they make up in numbers, and of course they do have weapons that could destroy the planet. And it would be very naïve to think they have not been contemplating their use. In fact, the Russian president was very vocal on his “first strike” policy. Meaning that he would not be opposed to nuke the planet if he feels Russia is being threatened. Even if they started the campaign against a neighboring country themselves.
That is why the USA and NATO have not ever said that they are fighting with Ukraine, but only giving them the means to defend themselves. And true that there are political agreements and accords that also limit what we can and cannot do, aside from the threat of nuclear Armageddon, because once the first nuke falls, that won’t be the last and it would take us all with them. So, in case it was not clear to somebody about the policy and rules, here is a quick guide:
NATO Article 4 – NATO Partner. Ukraine is a NATO Partner, but not a NATO Ally. There is a huge difference. Under Article 4, they are considered a friendly nation, but they won’t receive all the benefits an ally receives. In other words, if a partner gets attacked it is akin to “thoughts & prayers” but not getting involved in fighting directly whomever is attacking them. That is why NATO allies have been providing Ukraine means to defend itself, with the caveat that those means for defense and weaponry are not to be used inside the Russian borders.
NATO Article 5 – NATO Ally. Ukraine is NOT a NATO Ally. Under Article 5 that means that if another country attacks a NATO Ally, then ALL the NATO Allies will fight whoever was the aggressive country. In other words, if somebody attacks any NATO country, then NATO will rise as a coalition to fight them back. Yes, I am redundant on purpose, because this is why NATO is very cognizant of escalation, and does not start World War 3.
In fact, Article 5 has only been invoked once in the entire NATO history. And that was to support the United States of America, after the 9/11 attacks. So, if you’re against NATO, just remember they were there for us when we needed help. Does NATO have room for improvement? Absolutely yes, but so does the United States and any other country for that matter. But the fact is that we are where we are during world history, and like it or not, NATO is trying to prevent this conflict from spilling away from the region.
USA and NATO flag flying in the Mediterranean Sea
I know that for a fact, because when I was deployed in 2022, and while we were in the Mediterranean Sea, that is exactly what we were doing. You see, warfare is a lot like playing chess. The area’s geography is the chess board, and each piece has certain capabilities and limitations, but even the less capable piece in the chess board can achieve a check mate. Conversely, even the strongest piece in the chessboard can be rendered useless depending on the strategy, which is usually several steps ahead. So, with that example, just understand that it is like playing chess but on steroids. It can certainly be overwhelming for anybody who is unfamiliar with military planning and execution.
And there is another factor, a lot of that information and strategy is fluid and hence will be usually classified. Therefore, not for public consumption. For example, no classified information is to be shared in news stories. The military strategies are fluid because they prevent adversaries from having an advantage over our own forces. That is why safeguarding classified information is so important. Because it is essentially articulating what the next moves will be. So, if the adversary knows what moves their foe will perform, then they will be able to adjust their doctrines. That is why you will see me be very vocal against people who compromise classified information.
Information gets classified to protect lives. And contrary to a popular belief, military forces such as NATO are actually intended to PREVENT war. And the reason why that is needed, it is because it is obvious that some countries are crossing anther sovereign nation’s border and killing innocent civilians every single day. That is definitely true for Ukraine, who was been in the explosive end of bomb raids and ordinance for two whole years, with no end in sight. Just imagine for a second if that was YOU living in those conditions. Would you not want somebody to help you end this nightmare?
And keep in mind that as I said before, it’s not a lack of willingness from the USA and NATO to end this nightmare. But at the end of the day there is only one person in the world who can unilaterally end this conflict. And that person is the incumbent Russian President. His rationality for ending the daily massacre in Ukraine is if Ukraine stops fighting him for trying to achieve what started this war in the first place.
So, let’s put this in perspective one more time. The people in Ukraine are fighting for their lands, their livelihood, their future, their freedom, and most importantly their very lives! Russians who are under Putin’s unilateral orders are fighting because of a rationale that is demonstrably inaccurate. However, this particular narrative is not being shared with all Russian citizens.
Keep in mind that in the west we are accustomed to diverse opinions, to include the type that is highly critical of whomever is the incumbent leader in the nation. This is not the case for a lot of countries, even those who seem “free” on the surface. But in the case of Russia, the media is highly controlled by the government, and their message is supposed to be aligned with whatever the office of the President deems as true and accurate. And anybody who says a disparaging word against their incumbent will find there are punitive measures.
Contrast that to a place like the United States where incumbent President Biden is disparaged in ways that would be extremely dangerous in places where dissent with the president is punitive. Yes, long sentence for a reason. Also noting, there is an entire industry of disparaging and vulgar merchandise in America, that is specifically targeted to insult President Biden. And of course, all this merchandise is only bought by people who align with Bidens political opposition. Yet this industry is not only alive, but thriving. All this paragraph illustrates that the USA is not an authoritarian country.
Keeping that in mind, it is easy to assume that other countries have the same freedom of expression level. But that is not the case, even if there is opposition who can speak their minds – to a point, that does not mean that there is no retaliation for those who do. In other words, it takes time to get to a point where unilateral control is galvanized. So, with that context, just remember that nobody has said “no” to the Russian incumbent in more than 20 years. That is a long time to get rid of anybody who is not always saying “yes.”
Understanding this, the geopolitical instability does get highjacked liked or not. When a country with a gigantic nuclear arsenal has already subdued their population into obedience, then this will extend to the rest of the world. Starting with their immediate neighbors, if they are not aligned with the same vision of government. There is a reason why not every country is onboard with Russia when it comes to the war against Ukraine. However, I have to reiterate that people are not against Russians, they are against the policies dictated by the Russian government, that is a huge difference.
The war against Ukraine will continue to create instability around the world in the geopolitical realm. There is no shortage of authoritarian regimes who have a lot to gain if Ukraine falls, and some of those are a lot further than Ukraine. Meanwhile, the hearts and minds of people around the world are numb to the horrors occurring as though they are simply old news. Yet, this continues in Ukraine as a daily reminder that the world seems to have forgotten their struggle. And I keep framing this reality because even many Ukrainians themselves where not prepared because a lot of them did not think this could happen to them.
Well, I have news for the entire world. This sustained horror of war can happen at any time, and we are not ready for it. Are you? Even if you’re a prepper and have lots of guns in your basement, thinking you can shoot-fight your way out of it, you’re not a match to a bombing raid. When it comes to military grade weaponry, even the least capable piece of artillery has a lot more range or power than your meanest rifle. And the strategies of an adversarial regime who is fine with breaking the rules of sovereignty will not hesitate to break the rules of war. And yes, there is such a thing as the rules of war. And the war Russia started against Ukraine has violated those rules.
In fact, this is considered by the international community to be an illegal war. And yes, there is such a thing as” legal war.” Hence, there are many sanctions imposed against Russia because their President started and continues this war. This of course also affects every day Russians, which also serves as a measure to “prove a point” even if it is not aligned with reality. But remember, for any narrative to work, there has to be some truth to the matter intermingled with spin and misdirection in order to frame the narrative in a way that concurs with their agenda.
But if you think that this control of information is only limited to the Russian population, think again. I told you earlier that Russia lost the war with Ukraine long ago, the horror that continues is to ensure Russia is not stuck with the aftermath from all the damage created and the loss of life inflicted against Ukraine. But shaping the minds of people to have somebody to “point” at as the culprit takes time. Hence, the need to frame a narrative to the rest of the world, especially to those who stopped paying attention long ago.
The most influential country where great segments of its population stopped paying attention is the United States of America. The political and ideological division that has been growing in the USA plays phenomenally for the Russian government. Why? Because either if the USA destroys itself by dividing their own population, or miscalculates in a way that results in conflict, then Russia can point and assert that THAT is the reason why they had no choice but to cross Ukraine. It validates their narrative, even if it does not make sense. But then again if it did, they would not have crossed the border in the first place.
When the USA is helping Ukraine defend their own interests, it is in fact defending the USA from entering into a global conflict that is surely to come. How? If the USA is so far away from Ukraine? Because of Article 5, there is a credible fear that Russia will not stop if they defeat Ukraine. There are a lot of NATO countries who were former Soviet Republics, and according to Putin’s understanding of history, those territories would also be considered “illegitimate countries” – much like the Russian government is calling Ukraine out as though it is not an actual sovereign country.
And the reason why he says that is because there is precedent that Ukraine and Russia have a lot of shared history. And of course, Ukraine was a former Soviet Republic, and when they split off as independent nations, this was a huge blow to Russia. Specifically, because Ukraine is a frontier country giving the rationale it is a buffer zone between NATO and Russia. Putin said that he is afraid NATO is aggressive against Russia and that they want to erase Russia from the map.
I said this in an earlier article, and it remains true. Nobody wants to erase Russia from the map. In fact, nobody is even meddling on their internal affairs. The only people who can make a change in Russia is the Russian people themselves. Much like they have done it throughout their history. To be brutally honest, most people, even in NATO countries are more interested in simply living their lives. And to better illustrate, here is the full list of NATO countries, which one of these do you think would want to risk being the catalyst to start World War 3 and compromise their peaceful standard of living? The answer is none of them.
These are the 31 North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries in alphabetical order:
Albania
Belgium
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
And of course, we have Sweeden who is in cue to be completing the process to become part of NATO. Notice that Ukraine is not in the list. And Russia’s rationale is because it would be a huge threat to Russia to have a NATO country outside their borders. Except that there are many NATO countries who are actually bordering Russia already! In fact, newly accepted NATO member, Finland, shares a border to a very strategic area of Russia in the northern part of the world. And of course, there are NATO countries that border with Kaliningrad, which is also Russia in the southern Baltic Sea.
For the United States being part of NATO is of huge strategic importance. I can speak about that for hours, but let’s only choose one of those many topics. Geography! when you have allies keeping an eye and keeping the peace in their own area of responsibility away from the United States, then it prevents an adversary from making its way to our homeland. And instead of the USA having our forces spread thin across the world, each nation is deemed reliable to ensure we all work together, and prevent conflict from becoming a global problem. Which includes conflicts like what Ukraine has been experiencing for the last two years. You think that can’t happen, remember, many Ukrainians thought the same.
And this is another reason why it is incumbent on all of us to understand politics. I am not asking to get a political science degree, but I am advocating for paying attention. Why? Because it is in politics where the policy is approved. And these policies could work for or against our best interests. And that is why I am so vocal against policies that are weakening our country. Because if our country weakens, then the entire world stability goes with it. And yes, we are in the driver’s seat now, therefore it is incumbent on all of us to understand what is truly going on.
I am particularly concerned that there is no shortage of politicians who just so happen to repeat adversarial nations talking points verbatim in Capitol Hill! Does that mean that they are purposely treasonous? Not necessarily, they might very well be as confused as many people who parrot the very same thing that just so happens to align with approved state-sponsored media in adversarial countries. Don’t take my word for it, that information is freely available.
But this is a good time to understand that there are two forms of insider threats. Witting and unwitting. The former is somebody who is doing something deceitful or illegal willingly while being cognizant about it. That is bad. However, the latter, the unwitting insider threat is more dangerous, because they are too stupid to realize they are accomplishing the same nefarious agenda for the adversary, without even realizing it. My question when I hear and see these politicians repeating the very same talking points is: I wonder which type of insider threat they truly are?
The fact is that the incumbent Russian government will find it extremely convenient if the United States plays ball by either staying away from providing Ukraine with means to defend itself altogether, or better yet, join the effort among the nations who are misaligned with the rest of the planet. Which means that adversarial nations would love having the USA be against democracy, and freedom of thought and action.
The United States action or inaction on this conflict also resonates greatly on other countries around the world. Even those countries that a lot of Americans cannot point on a map. But as I mentioned, this is by design. The war in Ukraine is perhaps the catalyst that has already started World War 3, but we have not realized it yet. This is true for both types of countries in this dynamic, those who are for and against freedom and democracy around the world. The road to crisis tends to be very abstract and it has a lot of indicators that are buried in the sand, but that does not mean that there aren’t telltale signs that are very obvious to those who know what to look for.
Countries adversarial to the USA want to see if we are as strong as we claim to be, and if we are not, then that gives them an avenue to exploit our nation. Meanwhile, they constantly do what they find very effective, which is dividing us. That way our efforts to fight the real adversary will be ineffective. Has this happened before in the world? YES! In fact, it happened in Ukraine, and in the European Union.
Here is a quick history lesson, before this war that Russia started against Ukraine there were many countries who thought that Russia would NEVER start this conflict. And as I said, there were a lot of people in Ukraine, to include those in prominent places who agreed that Russia was not going to cross the border. In fact, Putin himself said something along the lines that it was preposterous that Russia would cross the border into Ukraine just days before the war started. Many of us who were paying attention did not believe what Putin said that day, and the truth is that two years later, Russia still fighting and killing people inside the Ukrainian borders.
What can we do about it?
Now many of you would be asking yourself, well, what CAN I do? Well, to be honest physically there is not much you can do for Ukraine right this second. In fact, it would be unrealistic for you to leave your family and loved ones and join the fight to liberate Ukraine, even if that is what you would want to do. So, what can you REALLY do to help? The answer is simpler than you might think. Learn about the conflict, and prevent the misinformation from continuing to spread like wildfire.
Sharing my articles on this series can be a good start.
Russia Ukraine 485 Days later – Half Life Crisis www.halflifecrisis.com
Like it or not authoritarian propaganda is on the rise, and it is affecting the entire world. Propaganda is the catalyst that turns otherwise good people into monsters by turning divisive rhetoric into [often] violent action. An authoritarian is only as powerful as their followers, and they have already galvanized power all around the world, they just have not been able to exercise to its full extent, because there are still checks and balances left.
However, when politicians keep getting away with talking points that erode the fabric of our society, then the problematic rhetoric becomes normalized despite the horror. Much like for many outside Ukraine, this horrendous war has become normalized, and most people don’t stop to think about it. So, what else can you do about it? You can be an advocate to ensure the Ukrainian people’s pain and suffering that they have already endured was not in vain. And if for some reason you happen to be one of those people who only care about themselves, just know that what Ukrainians are experiencing today, it’s the same reality you could very well be experiencing tomorrow.
The type of weapons that exist today can travel several times the distance you can see over the horizon, and many of those will be traveling at several times the speed of sound. You won’t see them coming. Yes, even those AR-15 trigger happy people won’t see them. Beside that weapon is ineffective against the type of ammunition that would be hurdled at people if this war expands from the region.
It would be naïve to think that we have not been at the brink of War World 3 a few times since this war started. But remember that there was a NATO person on the seat paying attention and guarding your sleep. They are preventing this war from expanding against the rest of the world. Although Ukrainians are fighting on their own, giving them the means to defend themselves is actually holding the line for the rest of the world!
We are at the brink of a thermonuclear war, and if you haven’t realized it yet, it has been stopped by the brave Ukrainian people, even those who thought this war was never going to start in the first place. As you go on to enjoy your weekend, take a moment to remember that Ukrainians have not been able to have a normal weekend in two years! Next time you hear politicians or anybody saying or asking, why are we worried about Ukraine anyway? Put yourself in their shoes, and imagine every horror that is going on in their lives as though it was happening in your own life.
It will be horrific to THINK about for anybody who has any sense of humanity, but remember that it is REALITY for millions of Ukrainians today. In fact, they won’t be able to stop that “inconvenience” and “look away” and return to their happy lives. And I keep emphasizing it, this could very well be the preamble for the next global war. How do I know? Well, consider this:
What year did World War 2 start? The correct answer is: It depends! It depends which country you were in at the time, and what geopolitical involvement was at the time the war started for them. History is repeating itself, that is why I keep writing what I am writing. Fortunately, the way to fix it is by combining our critical thinking with intellectual honesty. This will help us understand what is real, and separate it from all the distracting noise. Again, I write extensively about it, hopefully we can start working together to defeat authoritarian propaganda around the world. HLC
No matter the dissenting opinions, we are Americans under the same sky – J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez
America is experiencing pivotal events in our history. Whether you lean to the left or right side of the political spectrum, we must learn to work together.
The division in America is widening each day.
If you check most types of media outlets nowadays, the narrative is similar – “us against them.” This is happening at an accelerated rate, and it needs to stop, because we are eroding America from the inside out. And if this happens, we have to ask ourselves: Who wins if America fails? The answer is simple, those who benefit if America fails.
And who is this cabal of anti-Americans? You might or might not be surprised to learn that this group of people span the entire world, and yes – some are even inside our own borders – and they were born in America. This later one is more nuisance, because even though they are American themselves, and might be operating under the impression that they are on America’s side – they are destroying the very fabric of the country at an accelerated rate.
It is sad but true that it is very easy to highjack the intrinsic goodness of people, and turn it against them. Worst of all, some of those who had their best intentions highjacked can very well be convinced they are fighting the good fight. This is happening around the world. Some have already destroyed the fabric of their own countries, bamboozled under a faux outrage that misdirected their candor and ire against their best interests.
Are we next? I would not quite say “next” – because that is very much happening right now in real time. But before we explore this phenomenon, let’s talk a bit about this cabal of those who want to destroy America… or at the very least bump America off the number one spot as a world-leader. Is it too bad being number two? It is worse than most people would imagine. And that is why this process of bumping the USA off the world stage has been executed for such a long time, and for many has been mostly unnoticed. Afterall, if you’re number one, your place is forever secured right? No, wrong. But those who have something to win from that delusion will surely make you think that is the case.
American Exceptionalism – not always a welcome concept…
It is not unusual for Americans to call the United States “the BEST country in the world.” How do you think people in other countries, even the ones we like us view and perceive that statement, and sentiment? If your guess is that they feel super happy for the USA and they are super stoked about it, then you’re delusional. The reality is that most people around the world, though they would agree that the USA is a world-leader, in fact resent the fact that Americans call themselves the best of the best in the world stage.
American exceptionalism is called by many other countries “American Arrogance” – and either if you agree or disagree with that narrative, that’s the opinion of a non-insignificant number of people around the world. And if you’re an American, this might make you angry, or make you feel bad, sad, or perhaps even combative about their perception. “How dare these many millions of people around the world not agree that the USA is the best nation in the world!” And to be fair, America is indeed a leader in many, many facets. Not all good, not all bad.
For example, from some of the not so good, we are number one in gun violence. We are also number one in the most expensive health care system on the planet. Oh, and we are also number one on incarcerating people. Yet when it comes to education, we are nowhere near number one, when it comes to wealth gaps we are also pretty far behind. And don’t get me wrong, the USA is a wonderful place, unlike no other. But you see, I also have a very different vantage point than most of the world.
For instance, I’ve lived in the USA most of my life, and I’ve served in uniform north of 20 years. Also, both my wife and daughter were born in the USA, and I have been afforded levels of trust by America that is only limited to very few people alive. My love for the United States of America is beyond what anybody could quantify or even imagine. It is vaster than the expanses of the known universe. And that is why I have no problem speaking truth to power.
What makes the United States of America truly the most amazing place in the world is the AMERICAN PEOPLE – we have the most diverse demographics in the world. There is representation of every corner of the planet who are American Citizens, and Permanent Residents. But not only that, we also have people from all over the world who come and serve in our Armed Forces, in our agencies, and many other segments of our nation, expanding our scope of knowledge and understanding of what is needed to make us better each day. This diversity is inconvenient to those who want to destroy America as we know it.
Is there room for improvement? Of course there is! Even the fanciest smart phone, which already does more mind-bending taskings that we ever imagined possible just a few short years ago has room for improvement. We cannot live from past wins alone; this is a continuous journey. Change is inevitable, otherwise it creates stagnation. Following the cell phone example. What if we had just settled for flip phones in the early 2000’s? And if you’re old to remember those days, having a cool flip phone back then was a huge deal. Today, if you can find those, it might as well be in a museum of obsolete technology.
That is what diversity brings, new ideas – new concepts – new innovations – additional points of view. Some that will be welcome at first sight, some might be more challenging, if they seem to be disrupting the status quo. Continue with the phones example, back in the day we used to have rotary phones… you know those with the big wheel with numbers you had to spin to dial. Imagine for a second if we had kept those rotary phones and by doing so negate ourselves the possibilities to innovate to the technological advances we have today when it comes to telecommunications.
Some of the more cynical readers might think that I went on a tangent. Starting from American exceptionalism to rotary phones. Well, there is a reason why I frame it in such a way. The minds of people are getting highjacked to become one-dimensional. My writing style is meant to rebuild that abstract part of thinking in order for us to understand the bigger picture and stop being bamboozled. I have to be a bit more on-the-nose nowadays, because sadly we are running out of time. The adversary is winning, and we are losing ground.
So, let’s bring this back together to the American Exceptionalism. There are regimes who are diligently capitalizing on the resentment people around the world have been brewing against the USA for several decades. Meanwhile, they are positioning themselves as a better alternative to the USA. If the USA – by its own hand destroys itself, they win by default. It is even more insidious than that. They will try to get the USA to join the “bad regimes” club, and create a division so massive inside our own borders that it will implode, and win by default. Either way, they would win.
Sadly, I can only oversimplify on this article, because the entire premise alone is enough to write an entire book. We don’t have time to go through all that. But fortunately, I’ve written and released two books that help that effort. And also, I’ve written a myriad of long-form articles that deal with this exact theme. I wrote all this because I saw it coming, I’ve warned a lot of people – some took heed, many have no idea what is coming their way.
These books are nonfiction historical assessments that help defeat authoritarian propaganda.
In my series “Today in America” I add important turning points in our American History, and how this is playing a pivotal role in how we are been bamboozled into fighting one another, and for the rest of those who are unaware – to remain unaware, thus giving card blanche to an adversarial regime to take over their lives, as the unsuspected American segment of willfully ignorant people have given tacit consent to others to dictate their lives without as much as a semblance of awareness.
Are many Americans arrogant? You can bet your full paycheck that many are, and that is the impression many around the world see of this otherwise great nation. There is a lot of merit for why the USA has become the de facto world-leader, but that does not mean that other countries do not feel that that situation rubs them the wrong way. And before you think “well F-em” – think again, because – first that shows that you are indeed arrogant, and foolish. People around the world have choices, even if they owe something to America. Much like if you have a mortgage with a bank, and there is another bank that offers you a better rate – you might refinance. In the strategic level of geopolitics, it is very similar.
Being a world leader.
You’ve probably heard the term “it is lonely on the top” – and indeed it can be if a person burned bridges and used others as stepping stones to reach to the top. Politics, for better or for worse, have a huge role to play in the way we are perceived around the world. Every time people in congress throw verbal feces at each other, somebody in a country who dislikes the USA uses that as a propaganda point to show that “the US system of government is flawed.” That is a phenomenal gift on a golden platter to an authoritarian regime.
No matter if you are an American or not, rip the proverbial bandage right now, the USA has a lot of room for improvement, but it is right now (at the time I write this article) remains the best alternative for a myriad of reasons. For better or worse, whatever happens in the USA will be followed by countries around the world as an acceptable status quo. If you are not from the United States, you might or might not like the USA – but regardless the USA remains a world leader in many respects that are beneficial to the entire world.
Has the system been abused by a few unscrupulous and opportunistic entities? Absolutely yes. Can it be fixed? Yes! But it is not an automatic process. What makes the USA the USA is the PEOPLE! And people need to have a full grasp and understanding of what is affecting them. Especially the “boring and scary” parts that are usually left unattended. I can ask many Americans right now about what is most important in the current news cycle. Many will concede (and indeed when I asked them) that they “don’t follow the news” – but they can tell you the entire gamma of TV shows, movies, games, video games, and other entertainment with superlative detail. That especially in 2024 – which perhaps is the most influential election year in our lifetimes is not a good trend.
With that said, MOST people in the USA are actually wonderful and caring people, no matter where you are. Is there rampant misinformation that has been dividing us? Yes, again – and that is what I am trying to change through my writing. But I have to admit that this is not an easy task. There is no shortage of people who are “talking” about what is going on – but I don’t see much “doing” about it. This part of me “doing something” – but there is a lot more that I do, and that is engaging with any group of people I can interact with. Especially if they have a point of view that has been highjacked by propaganda.
I’m happy to report that some people with whom we had conversations, eventually had an epiphany. They did not agree with me at first – but I like to plant seeds that will be tumbling on a person’s mind for a while. They eventually will find the correct answer. Why? Because facts don’t care about our feelings, the truth comes to light at some point. It does not matter how hard we try to hide from it. The problem is that the truth is not always as palatable as propaganda. Propaganda is easily digestible; the truth can be a hard pill to swallow. Especially if we were enamored with the incorrect narrative.
You’ve probably heard also this phrase: “The chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” The propagandists and regimes who are hellbent in destroying America are preying on those weakest links. The trick is that they will make them believe they are the strongest links in the proverbial chain. It is very easy to do so in fact. People (in particular) with some unapologetic on-your-face alpha personalities can be very susceptible to running errands for an authoritarian. Sorry, that’s what normally happens. But non-alphas also have vulnerabilities that can be quite exploitable. It takes different levels manipulation to target each segment. This can result in the “us against them” reality I was speaking of at the top of this article.
And to bring it full circle – being a leading nation is not a matter of having only “a few good people who are good and well informed” does not help the collective from being a premiere nation. For example, in countries where information is curtailed and controlled by the regime, there is no diversity, nor tolerance for different points of view – the perception of reality gets skewed to the point that the population has no recourse but to stagnate. They will instead be waiting for whatever is being fed to them as far as thinking (and sometimes literally for sustainment).
Conversely, when there is a diversity of points of view, there will be more checks and balances. That does not mean that you have to “agree” with every different point of view. Some of those points of view (even your own) could very well be divorced from reality. But even on those events, that is not an entirely negative situation, because you can also understand where there could be cognitive traps (cognitive dissidence). Having people smart enough to realize that there are blind spots is a good place to start when searching for facts.
But I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – there is a sizable number of people who confuse facts with opinions. A fact is logical, measurable, and demonstrable. An opinion can very well be simple conjecture and divorced from reality. The latter is of course very convenient for propagandists who want to implant a “plausible” version of events – even if when put in context it would not be plausible at all. But of course, that is why those unsuspected people won’t be afforded the full context. It is designed to be that way.
Although this situation certainly happens in the USA, we are far from being the only country in the world suffering from the same situation. Tragically, due to the fact that the United States is such an important and influential country (like it or not), the collective dissidence affects the entire world (again like it or not). And even if there are other countries around the world looking in awe, horror, or contempt that the USA is struggling – it also negatively affects THEM sooner or later.
Leadership is a privilege, not a right. However, in places where they can still elect their leaders – the rules have been tilted in some superficially innocuous directions. But the truth is a lot darker; political influence is not a single-country issue. There are regimes who realize that the more global their influence, the more they can get away with other nefarious agendas. Agendas that most definitely affect their own countries, but it also tilts the game at a much deeper level. That is where things get a lot more complex – because it becomes abstract, and it is hidden in plain sight.
While the majority of people are busy living their own lives, the direction for which their road is being skewed happens beneath their own noses. The changes are gradual – and as they continue in their life journey – however long it takes, the destination was already predetermined for millions of people. That is why understanding history in proper context is so important. I’ve said it a million times, and I will continue saying it – propaganda is meant to be palatable, and easily understood. Of course, it is because it becomes the vehicle for subliminal marching orders – and these orders can very well be against the obedient person’s best interests.
So, if you’re an American – like it or not – what you do adds to the collective effort for the rest of the planet. No pressure. But that should not be a bad thing. In fact, when we conduct ourselves in a good way that is meant to help each other out, the benefits are returned with high returns. And no, I am not asking about donating, or giving stuff away for free. But for example, if you have friends who own a restaurant, or that they provide a service, recommending their services or using those services yourself already contributes to the betterment of our society.
The problem is that most people now seem like a walking price tag. And often asked to pay more than they can afford – especially if they are in the lower parts of the economic scale. When Americans can’t work together, what is the message the rest of the world sees? They would assert something along the lines “if the USA is no longer a world leader, then it is time for a different country (even their own) to be that leader.” This can be very beneficial or polarizing to the world stage – but remember that at this time in history, where there is great power competition, there are some regimes that are far ahead of the curve. And letting the USA out to dry (like it or not) is not the best answer.
But when it comes to a person put in charge, it does not mean that person is an actual leader. There is a huge difference between the two. And when we compound the millions of people collective in that country, and there are few awesome people and a bunch of non-awesome people, what is the average for the country? Does that affect the collective average – you bet it does. Why? Because like it or not a majority of people can affect change for better or worse. A population who is subpar in the manner they consume and understand information will be a lot worse off than a population who is above average in the proper understanding of the information they consume. Why? Because they will be able to understand if the information provided to them is accurate or if it is flawed. In other words, they will understand the proper context.
Dummying down our world’s population.
This has been occurring at an accelerated rate, and in many ways, it is a world-wide phenomenon. There is a reason why things that are more “fun” and “entertaining” are palatable and spread like wild fire. They are designed to capture our interest and to teach us something in a very easy manner – often time to try to sell us something, or make us loyal to their brand. But something similar also happens with propaganda.
Bottom line, the dumber a person is, the easier they are to manipulate. Make this dumb person believe they are the smartest person in the room, and they will be kissing the rear end of whomever is making them feel so good – and accepted! No matter how crazy the narrative might be, people want to belong – and propaganda makes it easier to create these bubbles that place people in a “community of like-minded folks” – while separating us from those who “seem to be” against us.
The reality is that we are more similar than different. And that is very inconvenient to whomever wants to manipulate us. In fact, that is another reason why they make their enticement so palatable and easily to assimilate. They have realized that the savvier a person is, the less likely they are to ingest falsehoods, and the less likely they are to take something at face value without doing its due diligence.
Let me give you a quick example. Let’s pretend for a moment you’re about to spend a pretty penny on a big-ticket item. Maybe a huge TV, or a new central air conditioning Unit, a vehicle, a new roof, an expensive musical instrument, or whatever that would cost a small fortune. In those instances, people will tend to do a lot of research on the brand, the reviews (good and especially bad), and ask around, and find out if the item they are about to purchase or the company they will be dealing with is reputable, etc. Those who fail to do so might go one of two ways.
1. They could get lucky and everything works fine.
2. They will find out that there was some merit in doing some research because now they are stuck with a bad investment.
Whatever the case, there was more to the story. In the first instance, yes – sometimes we get lucky buying something on a whim and it turns out to be great. But that is not always the case. In some instances, what we think was good turned out to be a swindle. Especially if the situation was too good to be true. In fact, that is part of the marketing process – making it as palatable and enticing as possible for the consumer. Hopefully, that will include good quality control if they are interested in the customer for coming for more. Some other times it might be just enough to make a quick buck and for the swindler to disappear into the shadows.
When it comes to propaganda, the swindlers are going to give them nice little samples, but they are not ready for the big reveal. Much like getting a buffet dinner in a time-share sale. Sure, they are feeding you something, but the payout they are looking for is a lot bigger than what they are offering to get you through the door, and to keep you there – until you stay long enough to listen, and perhaps being enticed to sign up.
Well, the dummying down of the population is similar, but a lot more complex in scale and execution. Why? Because the payout is enormous. Some people are more prone to take some false narratives at face value – if their biases have prompted them to blindly follow a person that they find enticing. Make no mistake, those of us who want the best for you are going to ask you to look beyond your bubble and question everything – even what WE are telling you. Why? Because we want you to expand your mind.
People who want to control you or keep you dumb will make things “too easy” for you. This might seem convenient to you at first, but the fact is that they are re-training your mind towards blind obedience. Through my writing I am trying to change that trend. But it is a team effort. Thank you for spending this time with me! HLC
HLC 79 Countries – www.halflifecrisiscom – our story is reaching out
A few years ago we started our little Half Life Crisis project with my daughter, for fun – and because we could. Fast forward a few years and we are growing!
Thank you for welcoming us into your homes!
I often say, “I don’t know how far my words would ultimately travel.” I was very humbled and grateful when my latest analysis review for www.halflifecrisis.com revealed we’ve reached readers in almost 80 countries!
I want to say THANK YOU to all our readers, we at the Half Life Crisis team love you all! Separated by the distance but united by this site’s language. Today’s article is all about you!
Another important message I wanted to share is the validation that the Half Life Crisis audience spans every continent (minus Antarctica). Comes to show we are more similar than dissimilar. Throughout my life, I’ve been to every continent except for Antarctica and every major body of water except for the Artic…
…It is an indescribable feeling to see in these last few weeks how far these words and the Half Life Crisis message have traveled. You welcomed us in your homes and spent some time reading our articles. This is a very humbling experience we do not take for granted.
DEC 2023 HLC readers visiting
The 10 countries with the most amount of Half Life Crisis readers in order of audience size are:
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ☑️
🇮🇹 Italy ☑️
🇮🇳 India ☑️
🇦🇺 Australia ☑️
🇺🇸 United States ☑️
🇨🇦 Canada ☑️
🇻🇪 Venezuela ☑️
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇲🇽 Mexico ☑️
🇨🇴 Colombia ☑️
🇵🇪 Peru
Listed below are the countries spanning our entire current Half Life Crisis audience. I listed them in alphabetical order. I put a little quick-check ☑️next to the country which I have physically spent some time within their borders – however short or long the visit.
🇩🇿 Algeria
🇦🇴 Angola
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇦🇺 Australia ☑️
🇦🇹 Austria ☑️
🇧🇪 Belgium ☑️
🇧🇯 Benin
🇧🇴 Bolivia
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇰🇭 Cambodia
🇨🇲 Cameroon
🇨🇦 Canada ☑️
🇨🇱 Chile
🇨🇴 Colombia ☑️
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire
🇭🇷 Croatia ☑️
🇨🇾 Cyprus ☑️
🇨🇿 Czech Republic ☑️
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
🇪🇨 Ecuador ☑️
🇪🇬 Egypt ☑️
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇫🇷 France ☑️
🇬🇫 French Guiana
🇬🇪 Georgia
🇩🇪 Germany ☑️
🇬🇭 Ghana
🇬🇷 Greece
🇬🇹 Guatemala
🇭🇳 Honduras
🇭🇺 Hungary ☑️
🇮🇳 India
🇮🇩 Indonesia
🇮🇷 Iran
🇮🇶 Iraq
🇮🇪 Ireland
🇮🇱 Israel ☑️
🇮🇹 Italy ☑️
🇯🇵 Japan ☑️
🇯🇴 Jordan ☑️
🇱🇹 Lithuania ☑️
🇲🇽 Mexico ☑️
🇲🇩 Moldova
🇲🇦 Morocco
🇳🇱 Netherlands ☑️
🇳🇬 Nigeria
🇳🇴 Norway ☑️
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇵🇦 Panama
🇵🇾 Paraguay
🇵🇪 Peru
🇵🇭 Philippines
🇵🇱 Poland ☑️
🇵🇹 Portugal ☑️
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
🇷🇴 Romania
🇷🇺 Russia
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇸🇳 Senegal
🇷🇸 Serbia
🇸🇰 Slovakia
🇸🇮 Slovenia
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇪🇸 Spain ☑️
🇸🇪 Sweden ☑️
🇹🇭 Thailand
🇹🇬 Togo
🇹🇳 Tunisia
🇹🇷 Turkey
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ☑️
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates ☑️
🇺🇾 Uruguay 🇺🇸 United States ☑️
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 🇻🇪 Venezuela ☑️
I realize this is a relatively short article. I really just wanted to thank you all for visiting our site and reading what we posted. I am at a loss for words, even though I am usually chatty. We look forward to your next visit. I would love to continue this conversation in our comment section below and in your social media of choice. HLC
HLC Pearl Harbor – www.halflifecrisis.com – Understanding History
When you are a United States Navy Sailor stationed in Hawaii, you are forever linked to the history of valor our shipmates endured during December 7, 1941.
Sunday, December 7, 1941 the U.S. Military forces on the island of Oahu woke up to a surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The main target was the U.S. Navy Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 2403 military and civilians were killed during the attack. This event became the catalyst for the United States of America to enter World War II (WWII).
Remember Pearl Harbor
It has been 82 years since that Sunday morning. It would be several decades before any readers would have been born when this attack took place. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor for three years in the early stages of my military career. Even back then, you could still see the palpable reminders of the horrors from that day. This humbling and sobering feeling has been with me ever since. It is very different when you are walking through the same areas where these brave souls fought back.
War is hell. Aside from the obvious – it is also because the adversary gets dehumanized. People who have feelings, parents, loved ones, goals, and dreams – they become targets. Most times anonymous targets, just another number destined to be eliminated. Contrary to popular belief, military forces are put in place not to make war, but rather to prevent war. I know, it sounds counterintuitive, but we’ll speak more about that shortly.
I cannot speak, nor would I dare to speak for the Pearl Harbor Veterans, and for all those who were front and center during that day. But I can very well talk as a person who wears the cloth of the United States of America for two decades. Any military person I’ve met can attest that there is an inseparable bond between people who have answered the call of duty. And the sacrifices made by our siblings in service during this attack are indescribable, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Their lessons and legacy still resonate today.
On that morning, the entire fleet moored in Pearl Harbor was still asleep. It was a Sunday morning, or as we call it holiday routine. Giving the Sailors a well-deserved chance to have a little bit of rest from the otherwise hectic and laborious days. While many slept, others stood watch guarding their sleep. The attack was meant to catch these Sailors and other uniformed military and civilians by surprise while they were least able to respond.
It was this rude awakening of epic proportions what ultimately caused the United States of America to enter WWII. Until then, although the world had been at war for several years, the United States had maintained its distance. But with the adversarial powers invading the world, this unprovoked attack was something that would start a chain of events and battles, which eventually resulted in the first nuclear detonation as a matter to stop the war. Fast forward several decades, and now we are once again at the potential brink of war.
Back then the USA did not start WWII, but it was the country that ended it. But the cost for that victory continues to this day in ways that were likely unimaginable back then.
Screenshot 2023-12-07 203636
Lessons from Pearl Harbor – Today.
Most of us are familiar with the bravery and aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some people might be surprised to hear that at the time of the attack Hawaii was not yet officially part of the United States, as a state. Hawaii became the 50th state to join to join the United States of America on August 21, 1959. That is 18 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The row for Hawaii to become a state is a very complex story, and the history is quite contentious. Therefore, I will write about it at a different time. But keep a pin on that thought because the key factor that I want you to realize is strategy of the highest order. In warfare, and strategic (as world-countries) planning, geography is a key element. Much like if you are playing a board game such as chess – the geographical disposition and everything that is included in that geography is much like that board game.
During WWII the Japanese Emperor and his Flag Officers very much understood that concept. For anybody who is familiar with warfare and wargaming, this will be perhaps a basic concept, but not an elementary one. In other words, this is a base where other strategies are built upon. Where am I going with all this? WWII is over, the ideology that was behind WWII has not yet surrendered. The faces of the adversaries might have changed, since foes are today allies – and vice versa.
However, authoritarian ideologies have perdured and especially lately they have been gaining a lot of traction. There is plenty of exploitative money and power in misinformation, and this is nothing new. The difference is that today we should be able to understand the difference – because before the flow of information was very much curtailed in the past. Today, we have an oversaturation of information mixed with rampant falsehoods disguised as facts. There are entire industries built on that misinformation flow.
Today’s currency is attention. And attention can be misdirected in ways that can either galvanize a segment of the population that is prone to action, and entice another large segment to stay idle, and satisfied about being manipulated (for some even wittingly if they considered it futile to even try to change that reality). But the great majority of people live their lives as though they are free – when in reality that freedom is very relative to what has been normalized as adequate in their existence.
With some of my fellow analysts in uniform we were asking ourselves the following questions: Has World War III (WWIII) started and we are not yet aware of it? As we look at the current young generation of Sailors and uniformed members (both from the USA and allied), we ask ourselves. Are there any WWIII veterans in this room, ship, unit or wherever else and they don’t yet know it? We were asking ourselves these questions years ago. And it does not take a doctorate degree to see how the instability has accelerated so much in the last several months.
And for us to understand if WWIII has already started, it is a good way to ask ourselves, when did WWII start? That is a trick question, because it started on a different date, depending on where you were or lived at the time. For us in the United Sates of America it started in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Yet the world was already in the path from war in the 1920’s very shortly after World War I (WWI) ended in 1918. And yes, WWI was the catalyst for WWII. So, what does that mean for WWIII?
WWII started in full swing for Great Britain well before the start of the war was officially noted as September 1, 1939 when [at the time] Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Even though it is officially articulated that Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. But it would be extremely naïve to think that Great Britain was not anticipating this situation from occurring. Although not everybody in power in Britain agreed that this was a problem, there were enough who were tracking what later became obvious to the world.
Seeing indicators that are escalating at the geopolitical level should not be surprising for anybody that I am bringing them up – I have been talking about these indicators for years. Fortunately, it seems that my words are getting more traction, thanks to you my beloved readers. Half Life Crisis has readers now in 80 countries spanning every continent except for Antarctica. Which is good, because WWIII would very much affect the entire world, even if it was only a few who nuked at each other. That is what we are trying to prevent, by the way.
But to give you some perspective for what I mean. Let us say for example that if two countries with a smaller arsenal – won’t name names for this example but here are the nine countries with nuclear weapons as I type this. The United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea.
If any or a few of these escalated to nuclear conflict, the entire world would be destroyed very soon after the initial target area was vaporized. Why? Because of the nuclear fallout, the nuclear winter, the plumes of radioactive dust clouds going far and wide, and of course the actual radiation and potential escalation of force based on geopolitical issues. There are no winners. That is what MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) became a key deterrence during the Cold War. The problem is that a lot of nations are very much escalating their rhetoric inviting the use of nuclear weapons. If that ever-growing reality does not wake people up, I don’t know what could.
But no, the rhetoric does not start with nukes. It has already been ramping up steadily and increasing traction in the last several years. Unfortunately, much like it was before WWII a lot of people were blissfully unaware of it, or willfully ignorant for that matter. Afterall, WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars. That happened, right? Multinational wars, other than WWII had been fought several years after WWII officially ended on August 14, 1945 when Japan surrendered after the nuclear strikes in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This weapon was so horrific that it stopped the conflict in its tracks. However, the current nuclear weapons would make those strikes against Japan dwarfed by the destruction capable in todays’ arsenals. How big is that explosion? Well picture this – look out the window and see how high the highest jet-airliner is flying. The mushroom cloud was significantly higher during the strike in Hiroshima. Today the most destructive mushroom cloud would be about four times higher than that…. Which of course means that it would be a lot larger on the ground – and all that mushroom cloud fallout will also kill you and everyone you ever loved in the most agonizing manner. And you cannot outrun it because the radioactive blast moves at about the speed of light.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked there were a lot of failures in the dissemination of critical information to prevent the catastrophe. If we had but a millimetric fraction of the capabilities we have today to ascertain indicators, they would have not had a reason to be surprised. Yet today’s weapon in the adversarial arsenal is not merely curtailing critical information, but the one they get for free and effortlessly – their adversarial willful ignorance. And in case you did not realize it yet, we are considered the adversary to nations that do not particularly like us. That is some food for thought.
The sacrifices and remembrances are not only supposed to be a solemn moment to stop in silence, for some to offer a prayer perhaps. It is a lot more than that. We owe a lot more to every person who lost or gave their lives with valor, to include those who were caught off guard. There were indicators that could have prevented this from happening – even back then, but as I said, we have learned a lot since that day. So, there is no excuse today for not understanding the impact of our actions or lack thereof, and how that plays in the great scheme of things.
I cannot think of a better way to honor our fallen men and women in Pearl Harbor, and the subsequent horror that engulfed the world for the next four years after the attack. The world was already at war several years prior to the attack against Pearl Harbor. Some people around the world even back then thought that it was “somebody else’s problem” – yet the war did reach every corner of the world, not just the battle grounds. I remember my grandmother telling me how the war affected and destroyed lives all the way down in Ecuador when she was a child. And South America is nowhere near where the battles were fought.
As I sit here reflecting on Pearl Harbor, I want to invite you to think about the lessons learned we have received ever since. Every time you hear divisive rhetoric, speeches that dehumanize others, partisan politics, and party loyalty over substance, demagogs clamoring for attention by means of discriminating against any segment of the population, etc. Remember that those were indicators that WWII was nearing its critical starting point – we can prevent that type of dark history from repeating… together. HLC
HLC Splitting challenges – www.halflifecrisis.com – Understanding History
I make it very clear every time I get a platform to speak about this; I am concerned to see America getting divided and more eroded from the inside out.
The adversary wants a divided America.
Where can I even start? 2023 is nearing its end by being one of the most bizarre years in American History. This is supposed to be a feel-good article – but there are realities we need to address. Why? Because I love America, that is why. Yet this weirdness is not very evident to great swaths of Americans – and many other world citizens. Yet, in a curious twist this madness is designed to be that way.
Yes, it is largely meant to be that way. Let’s start with the greatest catalyst – our political challenge and its congruent widespread apathy. Not necessarily by politicians – but by a large segment of people who are not at all interested in the political realities. I don’t blame them; politics can range from boring to exasperating. Neither of those extremes make it any more palatable. And yes, it is designed to be that way. Because that way a lot of decisions enacted by politicians happen unnoticed while in plain sight. Bizarre!
If you have been a reader of mine for a while, then you know I love to throw a couple of pop quizzes here and there. Don’t worry, there is no letter grade required on these questions I pose. But the correct answer to the crazy stuff I ask is still important. And the reason is because what I ask directly affects our lives – collectively. To be honest, sometimes I wish I could just look away and let things happen without a second glance. And once in a while I do – for a little bit. For sanity’s sake.
But the problem is that by letting things happen without our situational awareness, we tend to miss important indicators. For example, although there is plenty of political theater going on in Capitol Hill right now, there is also no shortage of the correspondent aftermath that affects our very lives. These could be in the form of taxes, changes to entitlement programs, legislation that messes up with our way of life, etc. Some laws pass without an audience understanding how different their lives are about to become.
Further, some of the politicians have staff who seem very incompetent. And I mean this is glaringly evident by the number of gaffes that occur on a regular basis when elected officials are questioning people during many hearings. It would be tragically amusing if it was not so disturbing. Some of these staffers should probably pay more attention to the facts before their Representative or Senator spews information that is totally divorced from reality. Unless that is the intent. I am hoping it is incompetence – but I would not hold my breath on that possibility – if this benefit of the doubt was supposed to be a bet.
Political Theater in Capitol Hill.
So, let’s do a quick pop quiz to my American Citizen readers. How many U.S. House of Representatives and US Senators can you name? From those, what are their platforms? And what do you like or dislike about each? How many can you name? 10, 15, more? If you did, that would be awesome! There are 100 U.S. Senators and there are 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. I bet you most people only recall some of those names who seem to be appearing in the news a lot. And quite a few of these politicians do appear (or are cited) repeatedly, although not usually for good reasons.
Yet these representatives do vote on legislation that affects our entire country. It is true that some have not introduced actual legislation to the floor, and also a significant number of these politicians seem to be divorced from reality. That does happen quite a lot – unfortunately. Let’s talk about a few to see if you are familiar with them. You’re welcome to like them or dislike them – that is not the intent for today’s article. But what I want to do is point out how likely we are to hear some clout in a very small number of politicians while many others are largely unknown to the majority of the country. Yet their voting record can be less than stellar, and hidden from view – in plain sight.
I’ll just mention the names, I won’t go into if they are either good or bad. But if you recognize the names, just think about – why do you like them, or why do you very much dislike them? In order for this exercise to make sense, your opinion over them cannot simply be because of what your favorite news outlet or pundit tells you, but rather on the understanding of their actual platform and voting record. That official participation is what really speaks for them. That voting record is what really counts regardless of what anybody says on TV or any other media outlet (to include independent outlets).
The following U.S. House Representatives are listed in no order in particular: Alexandra Ocasio Cortez (AOC), George Santos, Kevin McCarthy, Lauren Boebert, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, Matt Gaetz, Majorie Greene, James Comer, Steve Scalise, Jamie Raskin, Omar Ilhan, Antony D’Esposito, Tim Burchett, Jim Jordan. How do you feel about each of those mentioned?
The following U.S. Senators are listed in no order in particular: Corey Booker, Bill Cassidi, Susan Collins, Christopher Coons, Tom Cotton, John Fetterman, Lindsey
Graham, Chuck Grasley, Tim Kaine, Robert Mendez, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Charles Schumer, Tommy Tuberville, Elizabeth Warren, Rick Scott, Berny Sanders. How do you feel about each of the Senators I mentioned?
Please don’t feel bad if you cannot recognize them all. That is true for the short lists that I put in the paragraphs above or the full lists linked to this article. Unless the ones you cannot recognize are your own state senators and district house of representatives – then yeah, you probably should have known who they are. Why? Well, for example when people become Naturalized U.S. Citizens they take an oral civics test, and THIS question is asked. And yes, you’re required to answer correctly. I know I was asked this very question (among others) when I became a Naturalized U.S. Citizen. And understanding civics does make sense when becoming a citizen. I am sure you would agree to that. Should not natural born citizens be held to the same standard? We are all Americans after all.
I am sure most of my readers actually know the correct answer to this question I just asked (who is your House Representative and State Senators?). But unfortunately, that is not true for everybody else. In fact, just in the last couple of days I did my own unscientific poll asking random people about this very question – this included natural born U.S. citizens and Naturalized citizens. Which group do you think was most likely to answer these questions correctly? Why you think is that? (The answer was the Naturalized Citizens group by the way).
This priming question also helped many (not all) understand some of the intricacies about how legislation moves through Congress, and what is the relationship between the Legislative power in contrast and conjunction with the Judicial and Executive powers. Once we understand how the system works, then it is a lot easier to understand if a Senator or Representative is actually working for the good of their constituents (and by extension the country), or are they just occupying a seat in that exulted position but only fanning the flames of political theater.
Why do you think I picked up all those names and listed them in random order? Notice that I did not put their political affiliation (either Republican, Democrat, or Independent). Well, for two reasons:
First. Because chances are that you might recognize some of those names – because they do appear in the news a lot, and some were even presidential hopefuls, or held a very high ranking or influential role in Congress. Some are very good people; some others are awful – I won’t go on to say which one is what. A quick google search can give you plenty of information (good or bad) about each. Depending on what outlet you choose your information from. This is of course an invitation to spark your curiosity about each politician I listed. And of course, on hearing favoring and dissenting views on each of these political figures.
Second. Because they have been the catalyst to either moving or stalling important legislation, and the have been covered in the mainstream media quite a lot in the political discourse during important turning points in recent American history (when it comes to politics – for better or worse). Yes, those listed have different political affiliations. And many of them are not good at playing as a team. Further, some will be very incendiary in their remarks and partisanship – and quite a few of them are somehow involved in at least one major scandal.
By the way, I do plan on writing about the historical bipartisan vote to expel George Santos from Congress today. I’ve written about him before, and the inevitable happened today. Please come visit us again this weekend for that conversation.
Also, in separate articles I will delve into each of them as they are individually and collectively relevant. It won’t be in this article because otherwise this will turn into a book. There is plenty to talk about and some of that talk will be pretty intricate. Instead, my intent with this article is to spark your curiosity. True that some of these politicians are featured in the airways very often – but are their words in front of the camera actually matching their voting record and their actual service to the American people – or are they falling short on that commitment?
What I can tell you, and it is demonstrable, is that many of those I listed had repeated adversarial [to the US] nation propagandistic talking points verbatim. And this parroting of adversarial talking points might be unintentional, that does not make it any less stupid. This legitimization of adversarial talking points both bolsters adversarial nation’s influence and alienates the U.S. from actual allied nations. Does that sound hyperbolic? It should not… let me explain you why.
When adversarial nations show that the “Shining City on the Hill” is not only imperfect, but it is actually being portrayed as unhinged – this gives the adversarial nations ammunition to validate [even if falsely] that THEIR regime governing system is the way to go, as though the U.S. was too flawed to be a viable model in the world stage. Every time our elected representatives throw feces at each other, adversarial regimes rejoice. We are making it a lot easier for them to discredit the U.S. by our own mouths.
For the rest of the world, particularly countries who are not necessarily an adversary to the U.S. – but rather they might or might not have undivided loyalty towards the great U.S. of A. – seeing the US lose ground in the world stage will make an impression to them as though there is a “more viable” option. In other words, start leaning towards other nations who are not the US or US allies! These nations who are on the fence can very well choose to go for another “world leader” – who does not seem to be in disarray. Understanding that I am not talking about world politicians moving their fondness away from the USA – I am talking about everyday citizens of the world who might start seeing the USA influence as a lesser choice.
American influence in the world stage.
Not everybody out there is very savvy on global geopolitical intricacies. And why should they? – It is a very large world out there. Mathematically the task is daunting at best. But if a country at any point in history is the #1 most influential nation, then it does not matter who is #2, #3, or #47 for that matter… The #1 nation for better or worse will set a certain status-quo (like it or not) that normalizes what is or is not acceptable in the world stage. And with this I know that a lot of people around the world does take exception with the assessment of touting the U.S. as the #1 nation in the world. Actually, that statement alone makes a lot of people cringe (mostly outside the USA).
And that is a whole topic in its own right. I know many Americans will not necessarily like to hear that there is not unmitigated positive perception about them outside our borders. And yes, some of that perception is not a fair assessment. But as I said this is a very sensitive and actually quite complex issue – therefore it deserves its own dedicated article (at the very least). What we will discuss is quite eye-opening no matter how you feel about it.
However, setting a positive standard for USA is that among other beneficial things; the fact that the federal government is not going to kill you and everything you loved if you speak against the government – that is not something every nation in the planet enjoys unequivocally. Also, the peaceful transfer of power. That latter did not happen in 2020 – For the first time in U.S. history we did not transfer power peacefully. That was wonderful news to the adversarial nations – the world takes notice of that. I bet you there are plenty of Americans who are unaware of the nefarious January 6, 2021 insurrection in Capitol Hill. Or at least some people don’t quite understand the significance of that day. I know that for a fact, because I like to ask these kinds of things. And some of the answers can be quite frustrating.
Also, gaining the title of who is the #1 nation in the world is actually a lot more subjective than most people can imagine. And that perception is quite exploitable by propagandists. So, let’s put some #1 place when it comes to the U.S. in order to spell-out what does it mean. Some are good, some are not so good (as in not good at all).
Some of the USA #1 categories – Largest Economy in terms of gross domestic product
– Largest Military force by far
– Most mass shootings by far (tragically)
– Most diverse country in terms of ethnicity, culture, art, etc. Because the U.S. Population (to include American Citizens and Permanent Residents) do span the entire planet.
– Largest Oil, Natural Gas & Coal reserves.
– Largest Beef production
And I can go on… but I must also mention we are pretty far behind on other areas such as: Access to medical care (not the same as how good the doctors are in USA; it does not do a sick person much good if the doctor is excellent but prohibitively unaffordable), pragmatic equity, our wealth gap is gigantic. While some people can barely make a living, 1% of the country has more wealth than the rest of the 99% combined. And no, I am not asking for wealth redistribution in this article – I am just stating a fact. The amount the private wealth of a small percentage of the U.S. population is mind-bending. Moving on, our education system is not necessarily the best – it depends largely on several factors. Also, the higher the education level, the more exponentially expensive it gets.
Also, our manufacturing is very far behind on the world stage and incredibly expensive. If you have a “Made in America” product – you are going to have to pay pretty-penny for it 9 times out of 10. And of course, that creates a vicious circle of trying to get products from other places – because they are a lot more affordable. But in the end, it destroys the sustainability of a viable long-term economic model for the USA. It makes it harder to compete with the rest of the world in manufacturing. There are many American companies who found it cheaper to produce stuff overseas and ship it to the USA for sale.
And of course, a lot of the distribution channels will need to make some compromises on the quality of the products given to consumers. Let me give you an example, a lot of the produce (fruits and vegetables) we consume are not all that tasty. Why? Because it needs to be strong enough to survive the gigantic distances it needs to cover in order to be available nationwide – ensuring it won’t turn into mush will also kill a lot of the flavor. A lot of our food does have a lot of “help” to not go bad in transit (preservatives and particularly bio-engineered to sustain that arduous process). In smaller countries – for example Italy, a regular tomato will have a much different taste (as in amazing) than a regular tomato in USA. But the same delicious tomato would not survive the trip from origin to your plate.
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Quick author sidebar: Shoutout to Italy – another country I love so much. I know that for a fact that Italy is a country like no other, I spent four glorious years living in Italy – and I left kicking and screaming among when it was my time to leave. Among other things because the food in Italy is beyond wonderful. If you haven’t gotten a chance to visit Italy, you’re missing out. Save up some money and bring a big wallet because the experiences you’ll enjoy are unforgettable. I’ve been from the southern-most point in Sicily to the northern regions in the country, the coasts, and everywhere in between – every place is unique and indescribable. I will be writing a lot about Italy in future articles. Meanwhile you can see some awesome shots in my Instagram from my last visits to Italy.
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US Capitol view from the National Mall in Washington. Photo by J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez – Half Life Crisis
The good in USA.
But back to the USA. USA is my home, I am an American Citizen, I dress in the cloth of this nation and have been serving on active duty in the United States Navy for 20 years. My love for the great USA is beyond what words can describe, and I am chatty A.F. but even then, I am at a loss for words when it comes to speaking about what the USA means to me.
And for that I will have to dedicate an entire book – seriously. My mother brought me to the USA in 1995 and this country not only opened her arms to me, but adopted me as one of their own. This is my home, my Wife and Daughter are both American-born, I’ve lived here more than two thirds of my entire life. I’ve visited the world, but my adopted country is my home.
I’ve been to 47 out of 50 states in the USA, and several U.S. Territories around the world. And the common denominator of what makes the USA wonderful is their people. Sadly, some people (fortunately very few in the great scheme of things) are advocating for dividing our population in an “us against them” manner. That is why I am so adamant about trying to write content that will help us come together.
Unfortunately, chaos and bad news and sensationalism is what drives the clicks and the attention. I am lucky that I was able to create Half Life Crisis as a means to express my mind in an unfiltered manner. At this exact point in time, I am not as worried about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Marketing, or other stuff that would be just looking after monetizing what I do. To me it is about the message. I created Half Life Crisis so I could rant… a lot… about things I feel are meaningful and that deserve having a platform. And these will be immortalized without fear of being censored by any outside special interests group ruling Half Life Crisis – because it is really only me typing and editing all this stuff you see presented in my articles.
I do intend to include and feature more stories that hopefully will be inspiring to our readers. I don’t want to type sensationalistic content just to search for clicks, although I do want my words to travel as far as possible – because my message is meant to bring us together. But in lieu of sensationalistic topics I want to continue writing content that is thought provoking. I appreciate all my readers as I look at the analytics of my site to see that they are enjoying this type of narrative and they are hanging out long enough to read these words.
To all my readers, I want to thank you again because I don’t take for granted any visit to my site. I have already been gratefully surprised at how far this little platform has been growing. True that I have not gotten the bandwidth nor the savviness to make it a mega project. Not yet anyway – but as I say on my site’s front page. I am playing this whole thing by ear and you might be as surprised as I am at how far I might be able to take this project. And my intention is to do so by staying true to my principles. Even if it takes a little bit (or a lot) longer.
There is plenty we need to address in our beloved USA. We cannot bask in old successes and think that is enough to keep this good thing going. It takes the attention to detail to the generation who will be in the driver’s seat to maintain and make it better for everybody.
For these days I am trying to focus more on positivity, because the truth is that the world is actually a scary place and it is getting scarier. But sulking in a corner sucking our thumb is not going to fix the situation, what can fix it is the people – and for that it takes individual introspection to understand what needs to be addressed. But talking too much about negativity brings people down, and defeats the will to fight, especially if the fight seems distant from the battle space.
The first step is introspection, and by this, I mean it is important to understand what is being fed to us by elected leaders. What is true, what is noise? And there is plenty of noise and conjecture taking over facts. That is dangerous, because things can and will get worse – unless – we the people decide to be part of the collective solution. And it is as simple as understanding what this noise is being propagated onto us, and to separate facts from falsehoods.
In order to achieve this goal, what it takes is bringing our natural curiosity and comparing the facts with the reality. For politicians, looking at their voting record in the links I gave you is a pretty good start. Start with your incumbent Senators and representatives. I promise you it will be time well invested, even if it is an acquired taste. But those are the people who are making decisions on our behalf and some of them don’t have any business being in those exulted positions. Good news, elections are coming near!
As always, I want to thank you for spending this time with me. I don’t take for granted the fact you chose to read my words. I would love to hear from you, we can always continue this conversation in the comment section on this page – or in any of our social media platforms. Thank you for being with me through this journey! HLC
