Who’s driving the war wagon for U.S.?

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the West told Russia NATO would not expand eastward of Berlin. Since then, NATO added 14 countries east of Berlin. No legal agreements for NATO’s eastward expansions were made, but Russia’s concern is more than mere NATO membership. NATO countries are equipped with U.S. military bases pointing missiles at Russia. As of July of 2021, there are roughly 750 U.S. military bases in 80 countries, compared to Russia’s mere 21 overseas military facilities, leaving Russia paranoid about the West.

History shows us what would happen if Russia made an alliance with Canada or Mexico, putting military bases on our border with missiles aimed at the U.S. In January 1917, Germany sent the “Zimmermann Telegram” to Mexico revealing a plan for Germany to form an alliance with our southern neighbor, promising Mexico her lost territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. This threat at our doorstep was one of the factors leading the U.S. to declare war against Germany five weeks later.

Also, you have to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis where nuclear war almost occurred over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

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John Finn, Hero of Pearl Harbor

On this day in 1941, the Japanese launched a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing over 2,000 American military personnel and launching the U.S. into World War II. Amidst the tragedies of that fateful day, however, there were men who heroically rose to the occasion and displayed exceptional valor.

Among those heroes was John W. Finn, the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. The official Pearl Harbor website relates his remarkable story, which includes his continuing to fire at Japanese planes, despite receiving more than 20 wounds in the process. This undaunted American fighter survived to receive his Medal of Honor and numerous other awards, to enjoy a lengthy career in the Navy, and to travel to many places to share his story.

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Sweden and Finland want citizens to be prepared for war. Should Canada do the same?

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its third year, nearby Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland are preparing their citizens to survive during a military conflict. Should Canada be doing the same?

“If Sweden is attacked, everyone must do their part to defend Sweden’s independence – and our democracy,” a new pamphlet from Sweden’s government(opens in a new tab) states. “You are part of Sweden’s overall emergency preparedness.”

The 32-page document entitled “In case of crisis or war” was published in November and distributed to every household in Sweden. It explains that Swedish citizens and foreign residents ages 16 to 70 are “part of Sweden’s total defence and required to serve in the event of war.”

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Urban warfare expert debunks lies about Israel, explains how it shows restraint in Gaza

John Spencer is one of the world’s preeminent experts on urban warfare. He’s been inside Gaza three times since December, embedded with the Israel Defense Forces, analyzing the war against Hamas from multiple angles. He interviewed the prime minister, the IDF chief of staff, division commanders, brigade commanders, battalion commanders, “all the way down to soldiers in the field.”

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Russia Imports North Korean Military Kits

This is going well:

Vladimir Putin’s forces are being forced to source equipment from North Korea and Iran as the impacts of sanctions and military losses in Ukraine bite, defence experts believe.

British defence intelligence analysts think that Moscow is “increasingly sourcing weaponry from other heavily sanctioned states” as its own stockpiles are depleted.

An update published by the UK’s Ministry of Defence pointed to claims that Ukrainian forces had shot down an Iranian-made drone as evidence of Moscow’s use of systems sourced from Tehran.

Ukraine claimed it shot down the drone near Kupiansk as part of the offensive that has punched through Russian lines around Kharkiv on the eastern front.

The image suggested the Shahed “suicide drone” had been shot down by Ukrainian forces and had not detonated on impact as designed, though little information was released by the authorities in Kyiv.

 

If it makes everyone feel better, Justin relies on South Korea to pull its fat out of the fire:

Canada has asked the government of South Korea to produce and deliver more artillery rounds to backfill supplies that Ottawa sent to war-torn Ukraine.

 

(Sidebar: this article is dated June of this year.)

 

What’s worse is that Justin will bore South Korean president Yoon Sok-yeol later on this month.

Poor Mr. Yoon.

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China Holds Military Exercise Near Taiwan As Pelosi Visits Asia

After a Chinese state media account tweeted a threat to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s airplane out of the sky, the Chinese military began conducting drills in the sea near Taiwan using live artillery.

The People’s Liberation Army had its “live-fire exercises” close to the Pingtan islands off Fujian province, Xinhua News Agency reported.

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Putin’s ‘food terrorism’ in Ukraine war leaves millions facing famine in Africa

Human rights campaigner Lord Alton of Liverpool told the House of Lords how the Russian military is stealing Ukrainian grain, destroying the country’s agricultural infrastructure and blockading its ports on the Black Sea, preventing exportation via that route.

Meanwhile, 400 million people are said to be dependent on grain imported from Ukraine, sometimes referred to as “the breadbasket of Europe”.

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World hunger to spread as Russia cuts off food to developing world, and many Dutch farmers face ruin

Poor countries will suffer massive food shortages due to Russia’s war with Ukraine, which has cut off grain exports from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the world’s second biggest food exporter, the Netherlands, is planning to restrict farming in the name of protecting the environment, which will gravely damage the Netherlands’ highly efficient agricultural sector, and cut the number of livestock by an estimated 30%.

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Canada imposes new sanctions on Russian media in crackdown on Ukraine war disinformation

Canada has imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia’s media machine designed to puncture disinformation campaigns about the war in Ukraine.

The sanctions target Russian news agencies, TV stations and journalists, including Petr Akopov, who has written approvingly about President Vladimir Putin’s rationale for the invasion of Ukraine, and Tigran Keosayan, a pro-Kremlin television presenter.

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