23 Feb Tick, tick, tick… Will he, or Won’t he?
Gary Adkins is running for Congress in Virginia’s new 7th Congressional District. Gary is a solid conservative activist and a vital vote we need to take back the U.S. Congress and retire Nancy Pelosi’s brand of tyranny. Learn more about his race at www.garyadkinsforcongress.com, and help him in any way you can. Below, please see an Op-Ed Gary wrote concerning the Russia/Ukraine situation. Tom DeWeese
Russia’s large scale buildup of combat troops and weaponry within striking distance of the Ukraine border has raised the alert levels of governments and people worldwide. Is Russian President Vladimir Putin merely posturing, or, does he intend to invade Ukraine? While speculation abounds, one thing is crystal clear. Massing 150,000+ troops and armaments on Ukraine’s doorsteps creates extreme instability in the region. Should this become a hot conflict, other nations will undoubtedly be drawn into the hostilities, costing a great many lives.
Putin continues to deny any plan to invade, but amassing firepower of this magnitude indicates more than training exercises. Open-source intelligence and unclassified satellite images reveal extensive Russian mobilization. Reported troop strength and pre-positioning of land, sea, and air assets belie the ‘training exercise’ scenario.
Satellite imagery shows that Putin is attempting to gain strategic and tactical advantage; physically encircling Ukraine to either extort concessions from Ukraine, the US, and NATO, or to launch an all-out invasion.
Putin claims he is withdrawing some of his forces, but Ukrainian Intelligence reports that Russia continues to supply to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Thousands of tons of fuel, tanks, self-propelled artillery, mortars, ammunition and other weapons are being delivered with more on the way. These pro-Russian proxies are equipped to initiate false flag operations, providing Putin an excuse to invade.
Where is the strong stand against this Russian aggression that should be coming from all quarters? What should be a coordinated show of strength is non-existent. NATO is reluctant to oppose Putin. Germany is fearful because of Biden’s destructive U.S. domestic energy policies, and misguided Nord Stream Pipeline decision, making Germany reliant on Russia for energy. France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, displays weak, ineffectual leadership, and other world leaders hold their breath.
On December 5, 1994, the US, UK, Russia, and Ukraine signed “The Budapest Memorandum”, documenting a pledge to respect Ukraine’s independence and “existing borders”. In exchange, Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal. This agreement has apparently been tossed aside in willful acknowledgement that a nation’s “word” is no longer its bond.
On January 2022, during his first press conference of the year, President Biden acknowledged that Russia would ultimately prevail, facing only a “muted US response for a minor incursion”. Biden, fails to recognize that, with Putin, there is no such thing as a “minor incursion”. Once More, Biden, showed the world he is unprepared to lead the Free World, let alone America. Annexation of Ukraine has long been one of Putin’s strategic objectives in his crusade to reconstitute the former Soviet Union. Biden’s failure to show strength with an early rebuke at the onset of Putin’s actions gave Russia the green light, and Putin responded.
Consider the recent February 4, 2022, Putin/Xi summit, resulting in a “joint statement” consolidating their alliance against the US. Both Putin and Xi smell the weakened leadership of the West, and they are taking advantage. While we fixated on the overhyped Winter Olympics, we may have just entered a new Cold War.
Biden’s lifelong political career has been a record of failure in foreign policy. Former US Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, wrote about then Vice President Biden, “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” (“Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War”, by Robert M. Gates) Clearly, nothing has changed, except that Biden is now older and demonstrably weaker, both physically and mentally. Biden’s deployment of a few thousand troops is a puny gesture that could rapidly advance to active US engagement in a fierce battle – defending other borders while ignoring our own.
The U.S. Constitution declares the President of the United States to be the “Commander in Chief” of the U.S. military. However, the Constitution also gives U.S. Congress the exclusive power to declare war. Sending brave men and women into harm’s way is one of the most consequential decisions a Commander-In-Chief, or the Congress, will ever make. Whether it is to support our allies, as we are honor bound to do, or defending our own national interests, it is not something to be taken lightly. Once the decision is made by those empowered to do so, it is absolutely imperative that our armed forces be given our full support. We must commit the necessary force levels equipped with the very best weapons; and, we must ensure that the rules of engagement facilitate winning. Our troops who put their lives on the line for us deserve nothing less!
