Doomsday Machine.
Twenty-five years ago I travelled to Schweinfurt-am-Main in West Germany, the home of the Black Horse Regiment (see video above), in order to visit my brother; and I learned that the Black Horse life expectancy in the coming land war for Germany was about half a day or less. The Russians and their German allies would flood through the Fulda Gap and not run out of momentum until the Rhine RIver. Everyone on the base was under orders to bug out toward Paris and survive. I learned that our regiment was based in the same buildings that had housed a Panzer regiment once upon a time. Also, that the Germans had heaped lots of weapons in a tunnel that ran under the main road -- to escape the Allied bombers. After the war, it was too expensive to clean out. You could see the outlines of the tunnel when it snowed, because the heat melted a path in the snow above. What I did not know at the time was that the Soviet bosses Andropov, then Chernenko, expected Ronald Reagan to launch a First Strike attack on the Soviet Empire. The Soviets were convinced the war was imminent. The Soviets had prepared a doomsday machine (see David Hoffman's "Dead Hand") that would continue to fire nukes at Germany and the US long after Moscow was a crater of craters. The Black Horse regiment was not wrong to prepare for worst-case scenario. It didn't happen. The Soviet army aimed at the Fulda Gap instead threw itself on Afghanistan (below) and broke like a wrecked train. Now Germany commemorates 20 years since the BErlin Wall was taken down and the two parts of Germany reunited. The Fulda Gap scenario is science fiction. But just yesterday it was as real as WMD in the hands of the jihadists, or nukes on the launch pad aimed at Jerusalem. The doomsday machine was not retired; it changed masters.
It’s sad to know that the gravity of all these lessons in history remains unknown and unappreciated by the young people here in America. The other day, I happened to read an account of the fall of the Berlin wall on the opinion page of our local NJ newspaper (which continues to show up at our doorstep like an abandoned child). In it, all the credit went to Gorbachev; the name, Ronald Reagan, was never mentioned once. I understand too that our president refused an invitation by the German government to represent America in ceremonies commemorating the liberation of the East German people.
Meanwhile, here in America we're going precisely in the opposite direction. Our people (including the unborn, the ones we will choose not to abort) are being systematically enslaved to outrageous debt. It won't be long before the walls along our own borders will go up as well. These will be built to keep us in, not to keep others out. For once, our government will not dither as it has.
I will go to prison rather than comply with the health care mandate passed by our representatives last night.
http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
YOu won't be alone in jail, Peter. This thing is just beyond comprehension.
HOwever.....the Senate phase is a bridge too far I think. It appears that will be in the 2010 session, an election year, Reid is on course to lose in NV, debt debacle will be more and more clear to the average Joe, economy is unlikely to change much and 2000 pages leaves a lot of targets for the opposition to pick at over the next few months. And consider if you are a Dem getting pressure from Pelosi, maybe backhome to support the bill. What the hell! The Senate will change it, maybe not pass it. So I can say I did what I promised and it was thos damned Republicans who would go along. Many of those voters had nothing to lose by voting in favor.
There are many ox's out there who don't even know they were gored last night (Wait til they are Gored with Capn Tax).
If I'm too optimistic, then we'll sing Jail House Rock together.
Too bad it doesn't snow in the parts of Iraq where nuclear weapons may still be buried. I'm sure
they all didn't go to Syria.
It's hard to imagine that the East Germans who lived under Soviet rule are happy about the
new Berlin/Moscow alliance.
Yes, Peter: "It’s sad to know that the gravity of all these lessons in history remains unknown and unappreciated...." by all people.
I haven't seen a map of the proposed Russian gas pipeline to Germany, but the Fulda gap looks
like it would do.
Sorry, if I'm repeating what's in the video -- but I haven't been able to play it.
Did Germany and Europe ever thank us for winning the Cold War? We spent Trillions of our tax dollars defending Germany, France, and Western Europe. I don't blame Germany for buying Gas from Russia, we buy Oil from the Kingdom and refuse to drill in our own backyard.
Many of the 9/11 hijackers spent time in Germany, is Germany a country sympathetic to Anti-American values?
JB, last night you mentioned the relationship Between Russia and China, do you really think they trust each other? China looks North and sees Oil, Gas, Timber, minerals, Water, and a lightly defended border. Russia looks south and sees a billion Chinese, and not enough marriageable women. China would not need to invade Moscow, just the "stans" where the Oil and Gas are. Russia's defenses were always directed West with minimal infrastructure in the East
The gas pipeline will run from St. Petersburg to Rostock, Germany (former East Germany). It will go under the Baltic past Finland, Estonia, the rest of the Baltic states and Sweden (very close to the Swedish island of Gottland) and on to Germany. This line is currently the same one that several oil tankers take from Russian Baltic ports to Europe. However, this area is full of old WWII sea mines--many of which were simply sunk and never exploded. Finland worries about the environmental impact this will have as Russia intends to put the pipeline on top of the ground underwater in the Finnish "Economic Zone" of interest in the Baltic.
Thanks anon, I appreciate the info.