Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (256890)	7/5/2008 11:19:55 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 794016

Neither do I get my thoughts ready-made by Fox "news". I don't think you get Fox in NZ. I get my news from the same place you do. Tne Net. Gorby loosened things up because they knew they couldn't match the US's arms buildup and they were looking for a way out. Our left poo-pooed Reagan's "Star War's" program but the Soviets believed it. They knew they couldn't match us. The real money crunch hit the Soviets when the Saudis, at our instigation, lowered the price of oil by upping production, and made it impossible for them to pay for enough grain to feed their people. We refused to back a line of credit for them and things spiraled out of control. During this time Senator Ted Kennedy was using former Senator Tunney of Calif as a messenger to the Soviets in an attempt to help them beat Reagan. THAT bit of treason is known, but the story will not be fully told for 50 years.

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (256890)	7/6/2008 7:59:12 AM
From: unclewest	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 794016

I give most credit to Gorby for moving beyond the barbarisms. Gorby was as barbaric as any Soviet/Russian leader. Military weakness tempered his ability to demonstrate the full range of his ruthlessness publicly. Gorby took over as the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan was being completed. They were soundly defeated there. The key military loss was likely the 300-400 helicopters destroyed by Stinger missiles. The Russians had no money to replace them. All of Eastern Europe smelled the weakness and exploited it. I believe it was a coordinated effort. I also believe Gorby's calls for globalization at the UN were an attempt to take over the world even as the USSR was disintegrating. There are some interesting similarities with Napoleon in this story. Napoleon suffered enormous casualties to insurgents in Spain. This weakness was recognized and exploited by Wellington who nailed him. Just as Napoleon suffered extremely heavy personnel losses in Spain and had only 75,000 French troops left for Waterloo, so too the Russians lost their air-mobile advantage in Afghanistan leaving them nothing to move troops with in Europe. Constant guerrilla warfare (waged by insurgents) eventually led to the defeat of both the French and the Russian armies. But the importance of these losses to guerrillas was not initially recognized. Meanwhile Americans choose to ignore the beat down state of our own military and military equipment.