Why the Russians Can’t Win

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.

The American Revolution began on the 19th day of April 1775, when 77 militiamen assembled on the village green at Lexington, Massachusetts to repel some 700 British troops marching westward from Boston, aiming to secure all stores of weapons and capture Patriot leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock.  The skirmish that ensued left 8 Americans dead, 10 others wounded, and a retreat to nearby Concord had the British chasing them into a hornet’s nest.  About 2 hours after the shots ended at Lexington, the British regulars arrived at Concord amidst hundreds of armed Patriots.  They managed to destroy many military supplies but were soon routed by the minutemen and suffered heavy casualties.

Monument engraved in honor of the 76 Minute Men who stood behind Capt. John Parker on the 19th April 1775, Lexington, Massachusetts
Minute Man re-enactor at Concord, Massachusetts

“As the British retraced their 16-mile journey, their lines were constantly beset by Patriot marksmen firing at them from behind trees, rocks, and stone walls.  At Lexington, Captain Parker’s militia had its revenge, killing several British soldiers as the Red Coats hastily marched through his town.  By the time the British finally reached the safety of Boston, nearly 300 British soldiers had been killed, wounded, or were missing in action.  The Patriots suffered fewer than 100 casualties.”  [1] Although the Treaty of Paris wasn’t signed until September 3rd, 1783, officially ending the war, it was at the Yorktown peninsula, Virginia, on the 17th day of October 1781, where Lt. General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered his sword to General George Washington, that signaled the final battle.  It took six and a half years to expel the British and effect American independence

How The Ukraine War Resembles the American Revolution

Today we are witnessing a repeat of history, as the Russian military, under the direction of President Vladimir Putin, has invaded the Ukraine, vowing to reclaim the resource rich independent country that broke off from the former Soviet Union, dissolved in 1991.  There are parallels between these two conflicts and in the final analysis, unless Putin goes all-out bonkers leaving the Ukraine as a nuclear wasteland, I’m predicting resolution will be similar to our own 18th century war.

I will reprint a few excerpts from my own writings nearly 250 years ago that could essentially be used today as a rallying cry by Ukrainian Patriots.  You could simply replace the names “America” and England” by substituting “Ukraine” and “Russia”, respectfully, and you might think the paragraph was describing the current situation in Ukraine.

“THOSE who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.  The event of yesterday was one of those kind of alarms which is just sufficient to rouse us to duty, without being of consequence enough to depress our fortitude.  It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause, that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle. Or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.”  [2]

Here Paine is saying that battles lost are not prelude to eventual conquest, but rather a call to action, intensifying the outrage of the warrior routed from the field, and strengthening his resolve.  The cause of freedom will not be so easily won, requiring sacrifice along the way, but freedom will prevail in the end.

“Men who are sincere in defending their freedom; will always feel concern at every circumstance which seems to make against them; it is the natural and honest consequence of all affectionate attachments, and the want of it is a vice.  But the dejection lasts only for a moment; they soon rise out of it with additional vigor; the glow of hope, courage, and fortitude, will in a little time, supply the place of every inferior passion, and kindle the whole heart into heroism.”  [3]

Though the soldier mourns the loss of every brother-in-arms, he will gain the determination to defeat a conquering force and drive them out of his country.

“The soldier, above all others, prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”

  —  Gen. Douglas MacArthur

“I close this paper with a short address to General Howe.  You, sir, are only lingering out the period that shall bring with it your defeat.  You have yet scarce begun upon the war, and the further you enter, the faster will your troubles thicken.  What you now enjoy is only a respite from ruin; an invitation to destruction; something that will lead on to our deliverance at your expense.  We know the cause which we are engaged in, and though a passionate fondness for it may make us grieve at every injury which threatens it, yet, when the moment of concern is over, the determination to duty returns.”  [4]

Paine tells Howe directly that Britain’s folly in conquering the American people and submitting its’ citizenry to foreign tyranny is doomed.  The flame of freedom cannot be extinguished by mercenaries with no skin in the game.  The Patriot will always regroup from setback, and will never rest until the cause of defending his family and freeing his homeland is achieved.

“If there is a sin superior to every other, it is that of wilful and offensive war.  Most other sins are circumscribed within narrow limits, that is, the power of one man cannot give them a very general extension, and many kinds of sins have only a mental existence from which no affection arises; but he who is the author of a war, lets loose the whole contagion of Hell, that opens a vein and bleeds a nation to death.  We leave it to England and Indians to boast of these honors; we feel no thirst for such savage glory; a nobler flame, a purer spirit animates America.  She has taken up the sword of virtuous defence; she has bravely put herself between Tyranny and Freedom, between a curse and a blessing, determined to expel the one and protect the other.”  [5]

It is Putin who must accept the sin of war.  His invasion was unprovoked.  His objective is to regain territory he believes to be rightfully Russian, to restore the glory of the former Soviet Union.  I’m certain that many of his nationalist countrymen support him.  His methods have been brutal, a scorched earth policy, particularly in the eastern regions of Dunbas, encompassing Mariupol, Donetsk, and the northeast city of Kharkiv, showing no regard for human life, epitomizing a “contagion of Hell” from which civilians have had great difficulty escaping, trapped within the ruins of the cities they once called home.

During the American Revolution, British forces, based in Charleston, burned family homesteads and committed atrocities across the villages and swamplands of South Carolina in an effort to flush out Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, the guerrilla fighter whose band of militia tormented Cornwallis all the way to Cowpens, where, on the 17th of January 1781, they were defeated by Marion and Continental Regulars under Lt. Col. Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, his former commanding officer in the French and Indian War.  It was the beginning of the end for Cornwallis.  The Patriot (2000 film) is a pretty accurate depiction of this southern theater of the war.  [6]  

“Go home, sir, and endeavor to save the remains of your ruined country, by a just representation of the madness of her measures.  A few moments, well applied, may yet preserve her from political destruction.  I am not one of those who wish to see Europe in a flame, because I am persuaded that such an event will not shorten the war.  The rupture, at present, is confined between the two powers of America and England.  England finds that she cannot conquer America, and America has no wish to conquer England.  You are fighting for what you can never obtain, and we defending what we never mean to part with.  A few words, therefore, settle the bargain.  Let England mind her own business and we will mind ours.  Govern yourselves and we will govern ourselves.”  [7] 

Putin would be wise to acknowledge the history of the American Revolution, to recognize that his ambition may be larger than the ability of his military superiority to subdue a determined army of dedicated defenders.  Paine would give him the same advice he delivered to Howe; leave us alone and return to your own country before you lose everything.  Let us hope that Putin’s ego doesn’t overrule his sensibilities before this war drags on for years, and the Ukrainian people can get on with their lives.

COMMENTS always welcome

FOOTNOTES

[1] American Revolution Begins at Battle of Lexington ; Hulton Archive, history.com

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-american-revolution-begins

[2] Paine, Thomas ; The Crisis IV: Those Who Expect to Reap the Blessings of Freedom ; Common Sense, September 12, 1777, the day after the Battle of Brandywine, Chester County, Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia

[3] ibid.

[4] ibid.

[5] Paine, Thomas ; The Crisis V: To General Sir William Howe ; Common Sense, March 21, 1778, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

[6] The Patriot, a 2000 epic historical war film of the American Revolution, directed by Roland Emmerich, starring Mel Gibson in the title role as Benjamin Martin (depicting Francis Marion), Chris Cooper as Brig. Gen. Harry Burwell (depicting Gen. Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee), Heath Ledger as Gabriel Martin, and Jason Isaacs a Col. William Tavington (depicting Col. Banastre Tarlton).

In the climactic battle at Cowpens, South Carolina, Martin (Gibson) suggests to Gen. Burwell (Cooper) they employ the tactic of a “feigned retreat” (first known to be used by William the Conqueror at Hastlngs in 1066), whereby his militia skirmishes with the British near the crest of a hill, fakes a retreat over the hill, enticing the British to charge in anticipation of routing the rebels, then as the British break over the hill, they’re confronted by a much larger force of Continental regulars lying in wait.  In classic Hollywood fashion, Gibson avenges the murder of his son, Gabriel (Ledger), by killing Tavington (Isaacs) himself.

The Patriot (2000 film) – Wikipedia

[7] Paine, Thomas ; The Crisis V: To General Sir William Howe ; Common Sense, March 21, 1778, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Laws Don’t Apply to the Left

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.

There are abundant examples of DNC Corruption in a list that grows with alarming regularity.  This week’s nominee for “most egregious” goes to the recent “demonstrations” in front of the personal residences of conservative Supreme Court justices in the wake of a leak that supposedly warned of the courts’ intention to overturn Roe v. Wade.  Corruption is evident because the activist “demonstrators” were clearly violating federal law, but the Democrat controlled DOJ apparently has no interest in pursuing any action.  As a reminder, we have existing laws that were enacted to discourage anarchy, to wit:  

18 U.S. Code § 1507 – Picketing or parading

Whoever, with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court of the United States, or in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer, or with such intent uses any sound-truck or similar device or resorts to any other demonstration in or near any such building or residence, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Nothing in this section shall interfere with or prevent the exercise by any court of the United States of its power to punish for contempt.

(Added Sept. 23, 1950, ch. 1024, title I, § 31(a), 64 Stat. 1018; amended Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)  [1]

Apparently, the partisan Attorney General and the corrupt DOJ can’t seem to define the word “Whoever”.  They must think it means “Anyone except Democrats”.

Unless you’re an exclusive viewer of CNN or MSDNC, you probably have heard about the recent mobs of “protesters” organized to picket outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices, a clear violation of the abovementioned federal crime.  Oh wait!  Let’s not forget, Democrats are above the law.  Laws don’t apply to the “politically correct”.  Woke activists needn’t worry about bothersome legal issues.  They operate with complete impunity.

Don’t forget, Obama organized a 30,000+ member army of activists.  What exactly are these activists doing ?  My guess is they don’t just post social media propaganda from their basements to recruit like-minded ideologues in support of Obama’s agenda.  They almost certainly organize “mostly peaceful protests” and hand out megaphones to their leaders with marching orders to rile up the crowd, which reminds me of another federal crime ;

18 U.S. Code § 2101 – Riots (relevant excerpt)

(a)Whoever travels in interstate or foreign commerce or uses any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including, but not limited to, the mail, telegraph, telephone, radio, or television, with intent—

(1) to incite a riot; or

(2) to organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a riot; or

(3) to commit any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or

(4) to aid or abet any person in inciting or participating in or carrying on a riot or committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; and who either during the course of any such travel or use or thereafter performs or attempts to perform any other overt act for any purpose specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of this paragraph— Shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.  [2]

Seems to me that the DOJ should be ordering some investigations to identify the leaders and directors of anarchist activities.  Instead of protecting the public safety, they are apparently protecting the perpetrators. 

Remember all the unrest in the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd ?  Riots took place in cities across the country but two of the “hottest” powder-kegs were Minneapolis and Seattle.

“Mostly peaceful protesters in front of Minneapolis Police Precinct, May 28, 2020. Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer
Police car burning in downtown Seattle, May 30, 2020. Photo by Cameron Thomsen

We all watched the cities of Minneapolis and Seattle suffer billions in damages caused by Antifa, BLM, and other activists burning, looting, and rioting for over 100 consecutive days in some areas.  What did the authorities do to stop it ?  Not a damn thing.  They were ordered to stand down.  But were those riots organized by a group of basement-dwellers on social media, or was there a central figurehead, leading the efforts ?  What’s the status of that “investigation” ?

According to a company called the Property Claim Services (PCS), which has tracked insurance claims related to civil disorder since 1950, the “mostly peaceful protests” that took place between May 26th and June 8th 2020 across 140 U. S. cities, will result in 1 to 2 billion in claims, becoming the most expensive insurance “catastrophe” in history.  [3]

An article in the Minnesota Reformer gives us some updates from Minneapolis;  of the more than 1,000 buildings burned and damaged in the wake of the George Floyd murder, only 11 criminal charges have been filed.  Nearly 100 people faced felony charges, but a review of the charging documents by the Reformer found that only a few were charged with arson or breaking into buildings.  95% of the 520 (all but 26) misdemeanor citations issued in Hennepin County, which encompasses the city of Minneapolis, have been dismissed.  [4]

The Reformer singles out one man from Texas prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ivan Harrison Hunter,who allegedly fired 13 rounds from a semi-automatic rifle inside the burning Third Precinct building.  Hunter is a “self-proclaimed member of the anti-government extremist group Boogaloo Bois”, afar-rightpro-gun movement described by Wikipedia as a movement seeking to incite a second Civil War or second American Revolution they call the “boogaloo”.

Assuming all that to be true, it’s interesting that the authorities and the liberal media go after a man who appears to be antithetical to the prevailing make-up of the rioters, seemingly to incite them, but when it comes to Antifa and/or FBI agents inciting protesters on January 6th, they don’t want to hear about such “conspiracy theories”.  Democrats don’t participate in conspiracies is the message they expect you to believe.

The ATF tracked more than 160 fires across the Twin Cities after Floyd’s murder.  At the time of the article, just 11 cases have resulted in charges being filed.

We can see that it’s not only the high-ranking Democrat politicians that are immune from prosecution, but almost all of their activist soldiers as well.

In Seattle, an NBC News journalist discovered that two Seattle Police Officers allegedly planned and executed radio chatter that was designed to be overheard by “mostly peaceful protesters” in order to instill some fear among them.  I only mention this story to show that the media had no qualms about the out-of-control rioting, burning and looting being perpetrated by the mob.  Their agenda involved criticism of how the police tried to disperse the crowd and overt support of the defund-the-police movement.  The Proud Boys, a right-wing group did not enter the fray.  Seattle police had to abandon their East Precinct that day.   [5]

According to the City Attorney’s Office for Seattle, there were 261 arrests made for misdemeanor offenses related to the “protests”.  Of those 110 cases were still under review, but only 8 charges had been filed; and 6 of those were dismissed.  One protestor accepted a plea bargain and the other agreed to a diversion program (think, slap on the wrist).    [6]

Here’s an excerpt from the Washington (Com)Post: “The President unilaterally deploying paramilitary-type forces into American cities should concern all Americans.  His blatant disregard for the constitution – and for the safety and wellbeing of our residents – is textbook despotism.”  –  Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D)  [7]

Classic deflection.  Somehow the Seattle riots were Trump’s fault.  Pay no attention to the Mayor’s total failure to control the situation.  She just sat back and watched her city burn, endangering the safety of her own constituency, then comes out to the podium and lectures the country on how Trump should stay out of it.  She assumes the moral high ground and feeds Seattle citizens a bunch of crap about how her leadership will make their lives better after allowing their businesses to be destroyed and jeopardizing their safety to the outrageous anarchy rampaging in her streets.  Then equally disturbing, she expects them to remain dumb enough to re-elect her. 

When will liberal voters figure out their beloved DNC is not JFK’s party anymore ?  Folks, you’re voting for outright communists who think they are entitled to rule this entire country and as long as you keep supporting them, it will get worse.

COMMENTS always welcome

FOOTNOTES

[1] Legal Information Institute (LII) ; Cornell Law School

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1507

[2] Legal Information Institute (LII) ; Cornell Law School

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2101

[3] Kingson, J. ; Exclusive: $1 billion-plus riot damage is most expensive in insurance history,  Axios ; September 16, 2020

https://www.axios.com/2020/09/16/riots-cost-property-damage

[4] Eischens, R. ; One Year Later, Few Charges for the Arson and Destruction ; Minnesota Reformer ; May 27, 2021

[5] Stello, T. ; Seattle Police Carried Out Improper Proud Boys Misinformation Effort During 2020 Protests, Watchdog Finds, NBC News ; January 6, 2022

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/seattle-police-carried-improper-proud-boys-misinformation-effort-2020-rcna11147

[6] Markovich, M. ; City Attorney: Charges Brought in 8 out of 261 Protest Related Arrests in Seattle, KOMO News, December 10, 2020

https://komonews.com/news/local/city-attorney-charges-brought-in-8-out-of-261-protest-related-arrests-in-seattle

[7] Davenport, C. & Scruggs, G. ; Protests Explode Across the Country: Police Declare Riots in Seattle, Portland ; Washington Post, July 26, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/25/seattle-police-declare-riot-renewed-black-lives-matter-protests/