Lois Thompson – 5/28/17

 


This page was last updated on June 13, 2017.


Democracies do not fight other democracies; Lois Thompson; Beaver County Times; May 28, 2017.

Previous Lois Thompson (LT) letters I reviewed are here and here.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.


“NATO is vital to the United States.”

[RWC] Hmm, let’s see.

NATO guidelines recommend each member spend at least 2% of its GDP on defense.  As of 2015, only five of NATO’s 28 members meet their commitment.  Of the Baltic states, only Estonia (2.04%) meets its obligation.  Latvia (1.06%) and Lithuania (1.14%) don’t come close.

In first place was the U.S. at 3.62%.  The other four NATO members who met their 2015 commitment were Greece (2.46%), Poland (2.18%), the U.K. (2.07%), and Estonia (2.04%).

According to CNN, “According to NATO statistics, the U.S. spent an estimated $650 billion on defense last year [2015]. That’s more than double the amount all the other 27 NATO countries spent between them, even though their combined GDP tops that of the U.S.”  In other words, the U.S. funded 72% of NATO’s spending.

“The Baltic states are third-world countries coming out from Russia’s Iron Curtain.  They are poor nations.  What does President Trump have against poor people?  Oh, right; he was born with a silver spoon.

“The Baltic states got into NATO post-9/11 because the United States needed them.  They took up arms for us and hosted our troops.”

[RWC] The Baltic states got into NATO because they’re on Russia’s border and wanted NATO protection, not “because the United States needed them.”  No one “took up arms for us.”  Militant Islamists are attacking people worldwide, regardless of national origin.

I don’t know what got LT going on this topic, but perhaps it’s this NYT interview in July 2016 during which DT got into the issue of many NATO members not meeting their spending commitments.

Interviewer #1: “My point here is, Can the members of NATO, including the new members in the Baltics, count on the United States to come to their military aid if they were attacked by Russia?  And count on us fulfilling our obligations --”

DT: “Have they fulfilled their obligations to us?  If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes.”

Interviewer #2: “And if not?”

DT: “Well, I’m not saying if not.  I’m saying, right now there are many countries that have not fulfilled their obligations to us.”

As noted above, Estonia is the only Baltic country meeting its NATO commitment.  Regardless, NATO troops are stationed in all three Baltic countries.

“Vladimir Putin’s agenda is to pit friends, allies, countries and citizens against one another by using Trump.”

[RWC] U.S. lefties have loved the Russkies since long before I was born.  Heck, U.S. lefties were “anti-war” before WWII until Hitler broke his non-aggression deal with Stalin and attacked the USSR.  Today’s lefties routinely claim “Russia won the war in WWII.” 

During a CNN interview in the 2012 campaign, Mitt Romney (MR) stated, “Russia this is without question our number one geopolitical foe.”  Lefties immediately ridiculed MR as “totally out of touch” and possibly a member of “a small group of Cold War holdovers.”

During the third Obama/Romney debate, BHO said:

“Governor Romney, I’m glad that you recognize that al-Qaida’s a threat because a few months ago when you were asked, what’s the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia — not al-Qaida, you said Russia.  And the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.

“But, Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s.  You say that you’re not interested in duplicating what happened in Iraq, but just a few weeks ago you said you think we should have more troops in Iraq right now.”

Why are lefties now throwing their buddy under the bus?  What happened?

Regarding BHO’s mention of “the economic policies of the 1920s,” please read my review of a 2014 letter-to-the-editor.  It’s not what lefties want everyone to believe.

“Trump bows to the Saudis who funded 9/11 and hosts the Russians while turning American journalists away.”

[RWC] The bowing thing is stupid, but LT raised the issue.  When then-President Obama (BHO) met Saudi King Abdullah, he bowed; DT did not.  The “bow” to which LT refers was when the Saudi king presented DT with a medal.  DT is a few inches taller than King Abdullah so DT bent down to make it easier for the King to get the medal’s ribbon over DT’s head.  BHO, who’s about an inch shorter than DT, did the same.  We see this all the time during award presentations.

Meeting with foreign dignitaries – even Russians - is part of DT’s job.

DT’s not fond of most “journalists” who cover him and his administration, but I don’t know what LT meant by “turning American journalists away.”

 “NATO nations are democracies and democracies do not fight democracies.”

[RWC] According to Newsweek, “a Baltic nation is gathering intelligence on officials in the Trump White House and executives with the president’s company, the Trump Organization, out of concern that an American policy shift toward Russia could endanger its sovereignty, according to a third person with direct ties to that nation’s government.”  Do allies spy on allies?


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