More Cowbell in Ukraine

30 September 2022 by Larry Johnson 129 Comments

If the phrase, “More Cowbell” does not resonate with you, take a moment to watch this Saturday Night Live classic clip. You will then understand why I chose the title.

As anticipated, Vladimir Putin spoke to his nation and the world announcing the incorporation of four former Ukraine oblasts–Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporhyzhia and Kherson–into the Russian Federation. The United States and its NATO allies immediately denounced this as illegal and vowed not to accept the action. More Cowbell. And then, they really upped the ante–more sanctions.

Does that strike you as insane? The United States and NATO supposedly emptied their sanction warehouse on Russia in the immediate aftermath of the start of the Russia’s Special Military Operation on 24 February. How did that work out? Russia got stronger and Europe is in the process of collapsing economically. More cowbell.

The Treasury sanctions generally freeze any U.S. assets of those designated and bar Americans from dealing with them.

Commerce added 57 entities in Russia and Crimea to bar exports.

Treasury said it imposed sanctions on 14 people in Russia’s military-industrial complex, two leaders of the central bank, family members of top officials and 278 members of the legislature “for enabling Russia’s sham referenda and attempt to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-slaps-sanctions-russia-over-annexation-swath-ukraine-2022-09-30/none

So, let me see if I have this correct. The United States wants to destabilize Putin’s ability to remain in office. To accomplish this one would think you would take actions that rally support for the western position. What the United States and NATO are doing is punishing average Russians–the very same people the outsiders need to recruit to rise up against Putin. Would you be surprised to learn that this heightens animosity between the west and the Russian people? Would you be surprised to learn that this increases support for Vladimir Putin at home? Nothing like a foreign threat to get the average folk on your side if you are leading the country that is under attack.

If you want a nice, concise overview of the history that has brought the world to this point–i.e., the precipice of nuclear war–I encourage you to read Moon of Alabama’s latest (click here).

Vladimir Putin is not a loquacious guy. He is pretty direct, to the point and not known for opaque utterances. Putin has made it clear where he and Russia stand:

With regard to the war “we haven’t even started yet.”

“They are not just talking about Russia being completely destroyed – a battlefield. [They are] talking about political, cultural and all the typed of sovereignty with complete pillage.

“Now they are talking about nuclear blackmail. The Zaparozye nuclear power plant was shelled and also some high position representatives of leading Nato states were saying that there might be possibility and permissibility to use nuclear weapons against Russia.

“Those that allow such statements shall be reminded that our country also has various weapons of destruction, and … they are even more modern than the Nato ones and if there is a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and for protecting our people, we will certainly use all the means available to us and I’m not bluffing.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/im-not-bluffing-vladimir-putin-062940622.htmlnone

Americans are calloused when it comes to promises and threats from politicians. They generally ignore the threats as hyperbole. It appears that Biden’s team of national security clowns believe their own lies about Russia being a spent military force on the verge of collapse and that Putin’s political support is eroding like the crippled piers in Fort Meyer, Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian. 

The United States, NATO and Ukraine are in for a rude awakening. I believe that Putin is going to give the west a few days to contemplate his stark warnings and take the necessary step to start winding down their support for Ukraine. But the west is insisting–MORE COWBELL.

Here are Putin’s likely responses:

• Deploy the Russian Army to Donetsk and complete the destruction of Ukrainian forces there.
• Turn off the power and lights in Ukraine.
• Attack and destroy all Ukrainian military bases still intact in Ukraine.
• Attack and destroy Ukraine’s command centers.
• Attack and destroy transportation grids used to supply American and NATO weapons to the Ukrainian Army.
• Take control of Nikolaev and Odessa.
• Take control of the Transnistria in Moldova.

The U.S. and NATO strident threats against Russia will be exposed as hollow rhetoric. Russia is now William Munny and his army is marching into Ukraine’s saloon:

This is an existential threat from Russia’s perspective. Russia does not need the UN. It is the bear loaded for bear.