West’s Hypocritical Humbug

I think it is safe to trot out the ‘Humbug’ word now that we are fast approaching the chief ‘humbug’ season of the year, where all normal activity of ongoing deceit, cheating, lying, and other underhand dealings, are hidden under a thin shroud of merriment and an excess of self-indulgence for a short few days, the net of which annually spreads ever wider in a time window of unwarranted spending of monies not owned, in a vain attempt to make it all seem real, and… kind of… human… and… warm… and, I was going to say, ‘caring’ – but I think that would be going a little too far. If all that ballyhoo is not hypocritical humbuggery or based on the hypocritical humbuggery of times gone by – when people actually at least partly believed in such things – then I do not know what is. I suppose it could also be considered to be somehow reminiscent of those times long ago but I doubt there are many now living who would actually remember such days.

But of course, that kind of humbuggery goes on all the time. We just don’t seem to call it by that name. Take for instance these two current stories…

‘China ramps up military potential for first strike, US general believes’ – TASS

US Humbug. I’m not sure if anyone outside of Washington’s sphere of influence and perhaps even within that circle, believes that China would ever launch a first strike attack on the West. The same would go for Russia too. Yet both of those nations quite sensibly continue to arm themselves with weaponry the US and its allies can only dream of possessing – even though they have, on occasion (and on request), been provided with samples. They still can’t work out how to make them or even any working equivalent. And they still rely on mid-20th century technology as the basis of their so-called deterrent against first strikes. At any time in recent years, either or both Russia and China could have launched first strike nuclear attacks on the West, if they so chose, without much fear of Western effective retaliation ever reaching their shores – and perhaps in some cases, of ever leaving their in-ground silos. It would not be a complete ‘no show’ of course, but I know who would come off worst effected by the exchange.

Russia and China quite obviously pose no threat to the world at large. But the US – a genuine rogue nation – certainly does. So, it is with complete humbug that the US ever even mentions first strikes from either of those nations. Knowing, as they surely do, that their opponents are more than a match for anything they can throw at them.

Of course people can be mischievously pushed beyond their line of tolerance. I’m not sure the US is anywhere near achieving that just yet. Nevertheless, warnings have been given. Is the US leadership too dumb to see red lines? I can’t answer that.

‘Russian anti-satellite weapon test may threaten EU’s space activities — EC’ – TASS

EC Humbug. Ignorance, arrogance, as well as hypocrisy are behind this alarmist nonsense. It is OK apparently for the EU to clutter up inner space with junk but not for Russia – the only nation I think with the current capability to accurately dispose of its own junk – to clean up after itself. While that was perhaps not the only objective of the recent Russian ASAT activity – in the form of messaging for the real belligerents in Earth space activity (which no-one else seems to care about).

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I could expand on this indefinitely but what good would it do? The basics are there, but the future is not in your or my hands, so why worry.

One day, I would really like to say something nice about the West. Preferably once in a while but also, even just once. But for the life of me, apart from stories of cute puppies and bright eyed kittens or supposedly intelligent people acting like clowns of old – to the amusement of many – there are just no such stories worth the telling.

That should sadden me but, as with most things of today, I think I have moved beyond such expectations and concerns, to find my own rest and peace in a world where nothing is what it seems and none of it seems to matter any more. You may think differently of course. That is your privilege to exercise.

I have already spent far too much time writing today. Real life stuff presses, and in some cases, carries its own threats.