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From My Echo Chamber

Keeping it Clear

The talking head pundits in my YouTube channels (the ones I subscribe to) keep thinking it’s enough to say so-and-so is “supporting Ukraine” as if either side wants Ukraine to lose.

Given I’m moving quickly from echo chamber to echo chamber, it’s easy to get confused. Not that any pundits are listening but: could you be more clear?

Those of us who remember the old jargons know “Third World” did not originally mean “under- or un-developed” as in “impoverished” but rather meant “neutral” in the sense of standing aloof from this post WW2 so-called Cold War between former allies, the USA and USSR.

Not every ancient culture was ready to see Capitalism-versus-Communism as the only melodrama worth watching. “Forgive us if we stay out of your tawdry brawl” was the diplomatic message from a large part of the world, looking ahead to the more multi-polar reality we see shaping up today.

India’s Nehru coined the term as I recall and it meant “Nonaligned”. It still means that in many a lexicon.

Those wanting Ukraine to regain neutrality, more like Austria, or like the former Sweden, are not thereby wanting Ukraine to lose. The original Ukraine had neutrality in its Constitution.

Let’s remember our narrative: many post USSR cold warriors were of a juvenile sort and decided to keep World War 2 simmering on the back burner until such time as Russia could be made to pay the full price for having lost the first Cold War. These juveniles were defeated and Ukraine is now back on an even keel.

What the juveniles failed to realize is the older boomer crowd had come a long way in making peace with a former enemy and these included a lot of top military brass as well as former tenants within the White House.

The kiddos read a lot of old comic books and grew up thinking their job was to relive the FBI and CIA of the 1950s, a concept put together from their own readings, although some got more coaching than that.

But what about Ralph McGehee’s crowd — speaking of coaching, and football, and teams? My dad took me to listen to him at an Institute for Policy Studies one evening in DC that time (I forget when — dad between jobs probably, me as well most likely). I bought his book along with Sorrows of Empire (or maybe mom had that one) by Chalmers Johnson.

The United States has not been of one mind regarding its taste for empire. I’m talking about the actual Cold Warriors, of the boomer and pre-boomer variety, some of whom went to Vietnam. Edward Lansdale (see In the Midst of Wars) got his sea legs in the Philippines. A lot of these were Kennedy contemporaries. Ray McGovern. VIPS.

That juveniles would seek to undermine a fragile peace was no surprise really, more a truism based in English grammar. You always have the school bully stereotype, the dunce, the clown, not to mention the messianic do-gooder. These character types are archetypal — astrological in nature. And so we have biorhythms, repeating patterns, at the generational level.

I’m aware of the Systematic Ideology preachers, and their early glimmerings of these turning wheels. I was tutored by one of the archivists for this movement.

Many have expected all along that Ukraine would eventually be liberated from its far right neocon masters, the ones who insisted on taking the fork in the road that dead ended: the path towards an ethnostate, with ethnic purity a goal.

Many would call the worship of ethnic purity a form of idolatry, the elevation of a golden calf, or a scapegoat more likely, as people enjoy a good “high to fly, far to fall” story, ala Icaraus. I wish a long healthy life for Ukraine’s retiring president (whenever that happens) going forward. He could go back into television. Oh wait, that’s where he is already (politics being theater).

Anything “purely ethno” would likely do better as a diaspora, a network, with concentrations here and there, like a supranational, an oil company for example, or like a profession, or a university.

Some quasi-nations manage to keep up an identity without actual borders of the United Nations variety (Cascadia for example, a bioregion), however most people pushed to the periphery of the nation-state system have it hard.

You’ll have a hard time getting a valid passport if you were born in an open air prison.

To say “ethno” may say next to nothing about genetics.

When I say “ethno” I’m mostly thinking of epigenetic factors, or, rule of thumb: even I could join said ethnicity given sufficient indoctrination and training. In principle you understand. Life is short.

That’s just a rule of thumb though, as I couldn’t be a pro in many subcultures, with my current physique and genetic features. I understand about casting. I’m not cut out to be a supermodel, nor a champion pole dancer or vaulter.

By the way, since we’re talking about the Intelligence Community (IC), what do I think of Trump’s choices for that scene? He just won his reelection about a week ago, and my channels are lit with appointment news buzz.

Whereas DNI Tulsi Gabbard will be a new face in the IC, the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, has served in her new role previously, and so will have prior experience to offer as a fellow Trump insider. In terms of gender balance, the ODNI will be staying in female hands. I’m good with that, much as I’m not a true believer in The District as a whole, when it comes to behaving like a responsible power. More in my blogs.