Patrick Armstrong Asks A Question.

Patrick wrote today and important piece. I would say a metaphysical (almost) one.  In it he essentially asks and answers the question of WHY people like him (it relates to me in a sense too) do what they do. The piece is titled: 

WE’RE NOT JUST TALKING TO OURSELVES – OTHERS FIND US

It is one of those must read pieces and here is the answer (crucial part of it) to the question of why do what Patric, Bernhard from MoA, The Saker or I do. 

So what’s the point of writing? I already agree with you, you already agree with me. Our readers are here because they also agree. Writing becomes a mechanical operation, moving along a pre-determined course. No minds are changed, no minds are even engaged. But there is one big and important difference between the two solitudes which leads us out of the my bubble/your bubble stalemate. The well-informed person will be less often surprised than the poorly informed person. There is an objective reality and people who actually do have a pretty good take on things, see that reality more clearly than those who don’t. In short, those who actually are well-informed will be less often surprised than those who aren’t. Surprise is the clue: it is both the consequence and the evidence of ignorance.

It is absolutely crucial point. Consider this blog. OK, you read this blog, so let's consider this one as an example, in the end it is the only one way for me to heap the praise on myself, otherwise, as Russian saying goes--did not praise yourself today, consider the whole day wasted(c). This blog, now in a sixth year of its existence, was and remains relentless from the very inception in its warnings about reality being not what it is being presented by people and institutions which Patrick effectively described as being surprised in a non-stop manner:

But the readers and writers of the WaPo/NYT/Economist/Guardian bloc were surprised. They are certain that Assad gasses his own people when there’s no reason to; they believe that Qaddafi “bombed his own people“; they laughed when Trump said he was taped; they called Milosevic the “butcher of the Balkans“; they expect the Russian economy to collapse; they’re confident that the JIT is an honest investigation; they expect the protests will weaken Putin; they believe the “world community” recognises Guaidó; they are confident the West would be happy if Putin weren’t sowing discord; they expect that the next world problem will be managing China’s decline; they know where to find democracy in Hong Kong. And, especially, they were confident that Mueller will find a bombshell to blow up Trump. They remain believers in Browder’s story. The devotees of the establishment media bloc are almost always surprised by the way things turn out. That, by itself, shows that they are poorly informed about reality. Everybody is surprised some of the time but the poorly informed are surprised all of the time.

Bingo, I write for years now that not only WE (as an alternative media) are better in our OODA due diligence, but that Western establishment is utterly incompetent and that is why it is surprised non-stop. I called it few years ago a permanent Chalabi Moment. Mind you, Patrick Armstrong was an analyst in Canadian Defense Ministry, Larry C Johnson or Philip Giraldi were bona fide CIA officers, Colonel Patrick Lang is a Vietnam War combat veteran who availed his blog as a platform for many people whose military-intelligence backgrounds and experiences are genuine and proved viable throughout the years  by giving in general a top-notch analysis and providing good reliability of their forecasts. And here is the point--for people who involve themselves into such activity as assessing and forecasting anything, the first requirement for them, if to put it in a layman's lingo, is to be right, correct in their "predictions" at least once in a while, forget being consistent. That requires knowledge of the subject. In the end, one has to have his facts straight and this is not easy and requires a lot of professionalism,  labor and honesty--qualities completely lacking in the Establishment media and think-tankdom.

We (I say we because I do not separate myself from what, say, Patrick Armstrong and Strategic Culture Foundation do) simply know better. Let me demonstrate Patrick's point about people seeking out truth on this blog's example--from the inception I literally did not use any technologies other than my posts on a discussion boards to attract attention to my blog. None. I referred to some of my post through links on a discussion boards at Unz Review, plus I posted couple of them at Colonel Lang's blog. My blog became more or less known largely through the "word of mouth". Here is how it went since 2014. 

Blog started at December 2014

In other words, Armstrong is spot on when stating:

But people do change and our audience is growing. How can that be happening if we change no minds? Because the individual makes the first step on his own. So this is the reason why we write and speak and – religious allusion again – testify. People we’ve never heard of, disgusted by the strident one-sided nonsense, surprised by some unexpected reality they bump into, stop passively believing, begin to doubt, search around and find us. Our writings then show them they were right to doubt and lead them to a better appreciation of reality. We don’t persuade them, they persuade themselves; we don’t convert them, they convert themselves. But we reinforce their conversion and show them that there is more reality (less surprise) on our side. Once gained to our side, they won’t leave. It’s conversion.

But in the end, we are simply better, because we know more, much more about things we are talking about. Moreover, most of us know our own limitations but we know where to seek competent opinion on matters we don't know about. BTW, while at it, this blog is well over 2 million original views now and, as I stated before, practically nothing was done to promote it, people simply started seeking it out mostly by the "word of mouth". Of course, publishing books helped too. Recall what I stated almost five years ago:

The realization, that Russia IS already inside the West's (and US in particular) OODA Loop (if it does have any at all--the conclusion to which I begin to lean) should settle in by now. Getting inside one's OODA Loop was a highest priority for Colonel Boyd. It did already happen. It is so simple, if to put in into famous (and correct)  slogan--You Are What You Know. And it goes without saying that combined West knows shit about Russia. It always did.      

My assertion stands and it is now supported by an overwhelming body of empirical evidence. 

Another Round.

Evidently Lindsey Graham and his cronies from the Senate have a very vague understanding of the meaning of "crushing" when introducing yet another set of sanction against Russia, whom they also want to define as Sponsor of Terrorism.

A bipartisan group of senators is introducing legislation to impose "crushing" new financial penalties on Russia. The bill would slap new sanctions on Moscow, require two-thirds Senate approval if President Trump wanted to withdraw from NATO and force the State Department to determine if Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) said current U.S. sanctions against Russia haven't stopped Moscow from trying to meddle in the November midterm elections, despite Congress passing new legislation last year.

I am sure Russians will be "pleased" to be identified as sponsors of terrorism by the same ol', same ol' cabal of "legislators" we all got used to so much in the last 10 years. It is worth, however, repeating who they are:

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) added that the bill is "the next step in tightening the screws on the Kremlin."Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are also supporting the legislation. It comes as lawmakers are growingly increasingly concerned that Russia will try to interfere in the 2018 elections, where control of Congress hangs in the balance.

I can only express amusement to these, and other, senators' complete inability to learn. It is expected from US Congress to be oblivious on most matters concerning Russia, once the "quality" of US diplomatic corps and intelligence machine, not to speak of quality of legislators themselves, is considered, but continuing doing the same and expecting different outcomes? Isn't it what Albert Einstein defined as insanity? But then again, common sense and competent people are a rare commodity in both houses. 

My personal attitude to all this circus is to merely quote a very famous movie director and truly cultured and knowledgeable man, Karen Shakhnazarov, who recently (a week or so ago) praised economic sanction on Russia, which, as he insisted "if not for sanctions we (Russia) we wouldn't be doing what we are doing now. Sanctions are good for us". I completely share Shakhnazarov's point of view. I also am getting tired from, promoted mostly by humanities and finances "educated" so called analysts from all kinds of liberal rags both in Russia and the West, the concept of some Russia's "dependency" on Western "technology". It is to be expected from people who never worked a real industrial job in their life and do not understand what real technology or manufacturing is. Reality, of course, is quite different: the main issue of Russia in terms of Western "technology" is not anymore technology per se—that technology is being developed and introduced in Russia as I type this. The issue is bulk.

It is not easy to immediately remove, as an example, Siemens' or GE's MRI machines when Russia only recently, about 3-4 years ago developed own MRI machines and is getting them into production. Just as a passing fact, Russia has own world-class X-Ray manufacturing. The other example, of course, is (or rather was) the issue of power plants for Russian naval ships—a major pain in the butt with mostly Ukrainian manufacturers, together with German MTU, who, for obvious reasons, blocked or sabotaged for three years introduction of new Russian naval ships into services since were main manufacturers of both gas turbines and diesel engines for Russian Navy for years. Well, this is not the case anymore. Russia is doing it herself. But, of course, it takes time to get off the needle of imported technology and ramp up production. But no, rephrasing Mark Twain, the rumors of Russia's dependence of Western technology were grossly exaggerated. So, sure, let the US introduce new sanctions and see what happens and how they will "crush" Russia. Good luck with that.

Russia being branded a sponsor of terrorism is, of course, a completely different matter. It shows:

1. An utter desperation of the Washington's globalist establishment, which is ready to go to any length to destroy Trump's presidency and with it destroy at least some faint chance for the US to get its own house in order. 

2. Russophobia which is entering a terminal stage and criminalizes not only any relations with Russia but, eventually, will criminalize the state of being Russian as such. Any ethnic Russian in the US automatically becomes a suspect in the whole spectrum of "subversive activity", since we all know today that Russians are "genetically driven" to do a mischief. I still hear crickets on the part of the "free" American media who think it is OK to view Russians as genetic danger to American democracy. Where did I hear this before? Hm. Something is on the tip of my tongue.   

3. It shows steadily diminishing number of adults in Washington D.C. with it being dominated by personalities who are ready for their very personal benefits, be that political careers, payoffs and bribes of all kinds and, simply, egos larger than cathedrals—a first sign of mediocrity—discard any pretense of so called "service" to the American people, by means of getting these very same American people, whom these legislative scumbags allegedly "serve", into the situation in which an overwhelming majority of Americans, should these American people were properly informed, would hate to be in the first place.  

Russia, who suffered from terrorism on the order of magnitude more than the United States, even the tragedy of 9/11 considered, will "gladly", I am sure, receive such a distinction. I'd say to Lindsey Graham and Menendez—go for it. Awareness of being in a glass house is not their strong point.

In the meantime. It is 10^th Anniversary of Russian-Georgian War, known in Russia as 080808. In five days Georgian Army, trained and partially equipped by NATO and Israeli instructors was utterly demolished by allegedly backward Russian 58^th Army and sent the message which Washington still cannot comprehend to this day. And by comprehension I mean internalization and application of the message to practical activity. When even Condoleezza Rice had to admit that it was Saakashvili and his nation whipped into the nationalistic frenzy who started the war, it is the time to really reassess (yeah, yeah, any minute now) a geopolitical reality. Just to demonstrate a complete imbecility and incompetence of most American "observers" of that war, here is the "pearl" of military "wisdom" from Strategic Studies Institute. Get this for fun:

“Indeed, at the tactical level, in direct fire engagements between Russian and Georgian units of relatively equal size, Georgian forces seem to have inflicted more damage than they suffered. In part, this was due to superior Georgian equipment—many Georgian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles were equipped with reactive armor, night vision equipment, advanced radios, and superior fire control systems installed under contract by an Israeli defense firm, while most Russian vehicles lacked these improvements. Georgian forces also benefited from training administered by U.S. and other Western countries designed to prepare them for their deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. While generally focused on stability operations or counterinsurgency, this training taught skills relevant to conventional engagements at the tactical level as well—skills such as reacting to contact and using firepower to support maneuver against the enemy. "

How Georgian Army, utterly demolished by forward units of the 58^th Army, with most of those 58^th Army tanks being re-deployed from exercises with much of their ammo still being practical (that is blank—for training purposes), "benefited" is difficult to comprehend. I have a dirty joke about that but I will abstain. Already then Russian Army was in the transformation process and for all its ills and mistakes in that campaign, the outcome was never in doubt (well, except for many Western "analysts"). As General Khrulev said himself yesterday—the difference between then (2008) and today (2018) would be that today Russian Army would demolish Georgian Armed Forces not in 5 but in 2 days (in Russian). I guess this is the main reason which drives Washington's establishment insane and we can observe that in real time.