by Barry Hastings

Here we are, about a year into this election cycle, and, but for “building a wall” along our southern border, and rounding up for deportation 11 million Hispanics here illegally, no one has any idea of what Trump would do if elected.

He claims he’ll build a wall to keep the ejected out (and make Mexico pay for the wall). Now that’s a scenario we’re not likely to see — Mexico’s president has already told Trump to think more seriously about the matter (and publicly insisted, “it’s not gonna’ happen”). I’d venture to say you might see the wall started, maybe even completed. But, bet your butt, if it is, you, not Mexico, will pay the bill. His comments on our relationship with NATO member nations, or far East allies, are not calculated to make them feel either comfortable or secure.

Mexico, in particular, has many axes to grind with the U.S.A. Not the least of them was our theft of half their nation following the Mexican War, 1846-48. Following the war, we kept (under terms of the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo which ended the war) New Mexico, California, Texas and parts of several other American states. After repeated defeats in battle with the U.S. Army and Navy, the Mexicans elected a government willing to end the war, even at the cost of giving up vast territories to the U.S.

We bought it all for 15 million dollars (to mask the deal with some legitimacy), also acquiring the everlasting hostility of most of the Mexican people. Their continuing hostility resulted in skirmishes that troubled border relations right up to our declaration of war against Germany and the Central Powers in 1917. (In several senses, they continue today.) It was where our World War I European commander, General John ‘Black Jack’ Pershing got his field experience prior to (very successfully) commanding a couple of million “Dough-boys” in France, 1917-18.

GOP falsely blames Trump’s rise on Obama

The real blame though, may best be traced to the utter incompetence of George W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and the pernicious failures of their eight-year run in D.C. Though Jeb Bush recently wrote, “Eight years of the divisive tactics of President Obama and his allies have undermined Americans’ faith in politics and government to accomplish anything constructive,” in a Washington Post article, the proof (so to speak) is, ‘in the pudding.’

Near the end of his eighth year in office, the President’s approval rating is a few points above 50 per cent. At the end of his second term, Dubya’s approval rating was 20 percent, and is even lower, now the full content of the Pandora’s box he opened across the Middle East is fully apparent. Jeb’s pathetic showing in the GOP nomination race puts the lie to his statement claiming his brother, “Kept us safe.” The world, Jeb, in all recorded history, has never been more unsafe!

And what have Republicans done to improve conditions? Zilchl Republicans, according to U.S. News columnist Steven Strauss, have spent the last eight years, “blocking Obama’s proposals and nominations, and undercutting the legitimacy of our democracy.” After he decisively won the 2012 election, “They threw a temper tantrum that brought our country to the brink of an unprecedented default on government debt.” That led to ‘sequestration,’ and that has hurt every level of our national life, but particularly our military, and that in the most threatening times we’ve faced since the war to preserve our political revolution. (Yes, even more threatening than the Civil War, or World War II.)

Strauss claims (with good reason) Trump proved himself, “A menace to our democracy back in 2011-12, spreading rumors (already proven false when he uttered them) that the President was a Kenyan-born Muslim, holding office only because of some vast conspiracy.” The whole GOP was happy to climb aboard that bandwagon. After 9-10 years of similar lies and aspersions from Republicans, Tea Party twits, conservative media, leading conservative politicians, Jeb Bush & Company (all 17 of them), couldn’t find a way to derail a man they despise, but couldn’t beat.

Trump’s positions have moved further right as other GOP candidates for the nomination offered their plans. Rick Santorum offered an expensive barrier between Mexico and the U.S. Trump countered with, “build a wall and make Mexico pay for it.” Jeb Bush wailed against “multi-culturalism”‘ and said those who overstayed visas, “should politely be, asked to leave.” Trump countered with a proposal to, “Round them up and deport them,” claiming they are, “all criminals, rapists, drug dealers, and murderers.”

Strauss claims (and he’s right on target), “Republicans left a mess for Obama.” And besides the mess they left for Democrats, “they became a party of obstuctionists, made-up facts, and wishful thinking, as well as becoming the party dependent on gerrymandering, voter suppression, and racial divisiveness they purport to object to,” aside from endangering the nation’s political and military well-being.

Strauss says, “Republicans created Trump. They should take responsibility and fix their party.”

Those stinkin’ Russians at work again in Ukraine

Ukraine’s former Prime Minister, Arseny Yatseniuk, on a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, has revived a call asking that Western leaders, “hold the line,” against Russian aggression. He claimed, “There is no case for weakening sanctions imposed on the Putin government.” The cease-fire, agreed to there many months ago (and barely noticed by regional residents), is rapidly fraying, badly. Putin is heightening tension there by flexing Russian military muscle along every border with Ukraine, using armored forces, warships, aircraft, missile batteries, military convoys and soldiers.

The soldiers both openly and disguised as “locals.”

Yatseniuk has revived Ukraine’s call for assistance in the form of defensive weapons, saying Putin alone is responsible for increasing violence within the small (compared to Russia) nation. Recent violent flareups began sporadically in July. But western observers are watching a more worrisome situation develop — A massive buildup of conventional Russian military forces, both inside Crimea, and along the border shared by Crimea and Ukraine. Putin has positioned many military units — thousands of troops — to the north in Bryansk, to the East near Rostov, to the South in Crimea, and in the West in the Moldovan separatist region of Trinistria. A few weeks ago, Crimean residents began posting online reports of deployment of a large force of Russian Tanks and Artillery in the northern part of the peninsula, and within striking range of Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian intel sources, an entire Russian Air Defense regiment has been deployed to support “separatists” in Donbass. They’re armed with the Buk missile launchers earlier used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines civilian flight MH17. A photo of Russian tanks entrained on a siding in Eastern Ukraine was offered as proof of the Russian presence. The U.S. think tank, The Institute for the Study of War, reported (at about the same time), “Preparations for conventional conflict between Russia and Ukraine are accelerating, and the likelihood of open war is increasing rapidly.” Conflict moved even closer when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed “exhaustive measures” would be taken in reprisal for, “an attempted Ukrainian Defense Ministry terror attack.”

A spokesperson for ISW contends, “These are very, very clear signals from Russia, saying they are willing to escalate and to push boundaries.”

The spokesperson also reported big military convoys being sent into separatist areas, Russian soldiers sent to border areas, and much naval activity in the Black Sea, including some of Russia’s most advanced submarines. The subs are armed with very powerful ground attack cruise missiles. “This sense of’not knowing exactly what Russians are doing works to their advantage,^” the ISW report noted, though they added the words, “yet an actual invasion of Ukraine might not.”

I’ve studied military matters for 60 years. It’s time to deal with this “sequestration issue” and get our military back into working order. And quickly.