RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...Podcast                                                          Here's the podcast of last nights 'LIVE' radio broadcast where RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discussed the Brown University and Australia's Bondi Beach mass shootings; as per a report Trump plans to break up the EU by ‘pulling four MAGA allies’ out of the European block; and our Christmas, Hanukkah, and Festivus message to our listeners. Listen to it on https://rspradio1.podbean.com 

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                                                 Today Tuesday, December 16th from 7 to 8:00pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss the Brown University and Australia's Bondi Beach mass shootings; as per a report Trump plans to break up the EU by ‘pulling four MAGA allies’ out of the European block; and our Christmas, Hanukkah, and Festivus message to our listeners. On https://rspradio1.com Click LISTEN LIVE. 

 

Op-ed: 

An Essay On Ukraine 

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots 

 

...And for Ukraine's and the world's free nations it best be Ukraine for if Ukraine falls to Russia...if she falls to Vladimir Putin...the face of Europe herself will change for Putin will not stop at Ukraine nor will he take his hand off the nuclear button for madmen and egomaniacs are not constrained by the ties of common sense or logic. And it's for this reason alone that we must must continue our military and monetary support of Ukraine no matter what the naysayers in both parties here at home say for without our support Ukraine will in the end fall setting off what will truly be World War III.

 

Why so...because modern history has shown that when U.S. support for any just war is lacking or minimal at best, as it currently is with Ukraine, or when the U.S. enters a said war fairly late in the game...as we did in World War II...said war tends to last longer with more casualties and collateral damage accrued than if the might of the U.S. military had entered said war sooner rather than later. In today's truly global world, for better or worse, a world now rife with the stain of cowardly non-interventionist...Read entire article here.

Op-ed: 

An Essay On Ukraine 

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots

History is a cruel mistress in that lessons learned are not always remembered nor acted upon in a wise or timely manner. And here I speak of the lessons of war...lessons regarding the foreboding of possible war to come as well as of lessons reminding some that things that needed to be done were simply not done.

And war is more times than not the breeding ground of small-minded men with Napoleon complexes who see today's world as but a mere chapter in the ongoing saga of what many believe to be just a geopolitical rivalry between the world's three major super powers. Afraid to the face the truth about issues way more complex than just three nations jockeying for the number one superpower position, those here in the U.S., those in Putin's Russia, as well as those in Red China, know that both circumstances and ambition, peppered with self-perceived righteousness driven in part by media dictates can, when melded together as one, be the determining factor in who becomes the victor and and who the loser with what was believed to be a just cause being relegated to the annals of war's history alone.

Such is the case, I believe, in regards to the current happenings in Ukraine for the fact is that Ukraine and Russia have a long, bloody, and ever so complicated history with each other no matter words to the contrary. In fact, in June 1945, Ukraine...then known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic...was among the first countries to sign the United Nations Charter, thus being one of its 51 founding members. Also remember that the then USSR actually endorsed Ukraine’s UN entry as it being a separate country...basically admitting Ukraine's autonomy...albeit a separate country that they counted on to always vote and side with them.

And while numerous conflicts did exist between the two countries in the years since then, today's highly volatile and dangerous situation started with Russia's February 2022 invasion of a country whose leaders were looking towards the future...as in Ukraine truly becoming part of Europe...instead of continuing to allow their country and her people to live in the past...a past that would see Ukraine officially returning to “Mother Russia's” fold. And with Vladimir Putin's overinflated ego coupled with his personally driven quest for history making immortality being the hoped for components that would propel Russia to victory, Putin deliberately escalated the still smoldering eight-year long conflict that began with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the very action seen by many world leaders as the historic turning point for European security.

And so with his victory in Crimea, Putin gambled on both “Mother Russia's” and himself being invincible and unstoppable, with Russia being victorious in war and with his being hailed as the motherland's hero. Thankfully though, history seems to have other things in mind for Vladimir Putin as he is now being seen by many...military folks included...as not just the purveyor of major strategic blunders in regards to his underestimating his enemy's strength and determination, but also as the destroyer of what was once great “Mother Russia” herself.

Strength, focus, determination, and history...catalysts all peppered with a healthy dose of reality finds Ukraine, the second-most-populous and powerful of the fifteen former Soviet republics, aka “satellites,” now standing its ground against one of the world's greatest armies and its ego-maniacal dictator who relishes in his having one hand on the nuclear button at all times. And as Ukraine continues to forge its own destiny as a sovereign and independent nation...a nation truly free to align itself with nations in the West...Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues his personal quest to find a way to balance his country's hope for the future while at the same time resolving what remains deep seated internal divisions within his own country and government...divisions not unlike those seen during the time of our own Civil War...a war that saw brother pick up arms against their own blood brother just as Russia now picks up arms against their genetically tied Ukrainian blood brothers.

Think of the Ukrainian-speaking population in the western part of Ukraine (those who support becoming part of the EU and NATO) as being akin to the north's Union soldiers...while Russian-speaking folks in Ukraine's east (those wanting closer ties with Putin's Russia) as being Confederate soldiers. Now compare and contrast the framework for each war...minus the issue of slavery which itself was more about economics than the actual breaking of black folks chains...and one can see how eerily similar they are as both wars started with so-called “breakaway territories” declaring their independence from the homeland...the Confederate states declaring independence from the U.S., the Russian-backed states of Donetsk and Luhansk doing so from Ukraine.

And also know that both wars targeted the trade and transportation networks of the opposing side. In our Civil War access was restricted to Confederate ports with European nations feigning the face of neutrality while openly supplying arms and munitions to both sides. In regards to Ukraine, last year not only did NATO nations close their airspace to Russia, but international sanctions actually helped to restrict Russian trade while we and others who supported Ukraine continued and still continue to send them military aid with neutrality, ever so wisely, thankfully not even in the picture.

Neutrality, in my opinion, is but the front of cowards for to be successful in war means one must not fear the taking of sides nor the collateral damage incurred. And while both our Civil War and the still ongoing Russia v. Ukraine War...a war that in reality is simply a war of self-determination...sees as their basic commonality a striving for national reunification coupled with both political and economic conquest. But know that more times than not it's tangible success in battle alone that determines who history portrays as heroes and who are portrayed as villains, as well as who will be determined to be the ultimate winners and losers in this modern day version of civil war.

And for Ukraine's and the world's free nations it best be Ukraine for if Ukraine falls to Russia...if she falls to Vladimir Putin...the face of Europe herself will change for Putin will not stop at Ukraine nor will he take his hand off the nuclear button for madmen and egomaniacs are not constrained by the ties of common sense or logic. And it's for this reason alone that we must continue our military and monetary support of Ukraine no matter what the naysayers in both parties here at home say for without our support Ukraine will in the end fall setting off what will truly be World War III.

 

Why so...because modern history has shown that when U.S. support for any just war is lacking or minimal at best, as it currently is with Ukraine, or when the U.S. enters a said war fairly late in the game...as we did in World War II...said war tends to last longer with more casualties and collateral damage accrued than if the might of the U.S. military had entered said war sooner rather than later. In today's truly global world, for better or worse, a world now rife with the stain of cowardly non-interventionist policies, the aggressor...in this case Vladimir Putin and Russia...is given the time, space, and media coverage needed to help stage the battlefields of war to play out in their favor. We see it now happening on a daily basis with every step forward Zelenskyy and his forces make being met by a new and more deadly barrage of Putin's savagery with the tally in civilian casualties showing no signs of waning

History, as stated earlier, has once again become a cruel mistress as we and our allies basically sit by and watch those in Ukraine bravely continuing their fight against seemingly insurmountable odds, with help from the U.S. and NATO being fleeting at best. Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom...after all freedom is and always will be worth fighting for...while we tally up the dollars and cents spent knowing well that Joe Biden's promises made to Ukraine might never come to fruition. Our problems here at home cannot compare to what the Ukrainian people are facing, and know as truth that if Ukraine does fall what's to stop Putin from overtaking Europe and then setting his sights on the U.S. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out, but know that when madmen and fools are in control...when history's lessons learned are ignored...there truly is no safe place to call home. Case closed.

Copyright © 2023 / Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved. 

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, Biden's Balloon-a-Palooza.

 

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!

 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 21st, from 7-8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'An Essay On Ukraine'; 'Biden's Balloon-a-Palooza'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com. Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50 pm EST with show beginning at 7pm EST.

 

Op-ed:

Ukraine's Hell...Only One Solution Is Possible

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

“We now have war in Europe on a scale and of a type we thought belonged to history.” - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg

The war started by Russia against the independent nation of Ukraine has given birth to both heroes and villains...some obvious, some preferring to stay in the shadows. But one thing I do know is that Ukraine's President Volodymir Zelensky is a man who is the epitome of the word “hero” and it's not just for his vowing to stand and fight for Ukraine even when offered a way out, but this one man...a man of courage and fortitude...has almost single-handily rallied the free world against Vladimir Putin whose plans to rebuild the Russian Empire will, I believe, end in abysmal failure.

So as I began writing this article on the fifth day of Russia's war on Ukraine, the first round of cease-fire talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations had wrapped up and, as expected, failed to produce anything but the promise to continue talks “in the near future.” And it appeared to me that those first talks were but a false flag being raised, because while those very talks were ongoing Russian troops were busy shelling what they knew was a residential neighborhood in the eastern city of Kharkiv, killing at least ten Ukrainian civilians, thus showing the world collateral damage be damned.

But last week did hold a few positive surprises as the Russian economy entered free-fall as international sanctions started taking effect, with the rouble dropping to its lowest level ever. Also, the historically neutral nation of Switzerland considered the Ukrainian situation so dire that even they took sides with Ukraine against Russia by joining in the European Union's (EU's) sanctions against Russian assets, while Finland and Sweden...both previously not taking sides...are seriously considering joining both the EU and NATO as Russian aggression continues unabated. In fact, the EU announced, for the first time in its history, that they will directly send not only funds to Ukraine for weapons, but will send them much needed fighter jets as well.

Last week also saw President Zelensky signing an emergency request for Ukraine to immediately be admitted to the EU under a so-called "new special procedure," while not saying what this procedure involves. However, the EU did approve Ukraine's application to join the organization, thus solidifying their promise of sending more military weapons and humanitarian aid to the now war torn country. And fearing for his country's safety, Eugen Caras, Moldova's ambassador to the U.S., is also considering asking to join both the EU and NATO no matter that Moldova has a neutrality provision written into its constitution. And why...because a recently surfaced video shows Putin's puppet Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus' president, standing in front of a map that appears to suggest that the Moldovan breakaway state of Transnistria is the next target for invasion.

Also during the week we also saw Vasily Nebenzya. the Russian ambassador to the UN, telling lie after lie about genocide being committed against the Russian nationals living in Ukraine, at the same time that Russian “cluster munitions”...what's known as “vacuum bombs”... were, on Putin's direct orders, being deliberately dropped on other populated civilian areas in Ukraine's east in addition to those that had already targeted the city of Kharkiv. And while Putin knows that said bombs have been outlawed by the Geneva Convention, coupled with the fact of his having already put his country's nuclear forces on “high alert,” shows the world that he cares nothing about the Geneva Convention let alone what the world thinks about him or his agenda. More on that in a bit.

So, as last week progressed, we learned that Ukraine's armed forces stopped an assassination attempt against Zelensky. It seems that a unit of elite Chechen special forces, known as Kadyrovites, were involved in a plot to “eliminate” Ukraine's leader, but thankfully the only ones “eliminated” were the assassins themselves. However, Zelensky's life is still in great danger as 400 members of the so-called “Wagner Group”...a group of Russian paid mercenaries...bloodthristy killers supposedly at Putin's beck and call...were given the assignment to “decapitate Zelensky’s government” and prepare the ground for Moscow to take control. 

 

Given a list of 23 Ukrainians Putin targeted for assassination, with Zelensky topping said list, the Klitschko brothers are number two. And these two brothers...Vitali and Wladmir... both world class boxing champions...are a personal thorn in Putin's side for their now deceased father was a Soviet loyalist, a high ranking Russian military commander who was a hero of sorts at Chernobyl, and a personal friend of Putin. And yet both sons are now actively, vocally, and publicly fighting for Ukraine. The ultimate slap in the face to a man whose ego thrives on loyalty to himself and to "Mother Russia."

Then on Wednesday, in a rare emergency “special session,” China officially said “no” to sanctioning Russia while Wang Webin, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, stated China would continue “normal trade cooperation” with Russia “in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit,” thus directly going against China's repeated claims that it respects a state’s sovereignty. Also, China abstained during a UN General Assembly vote...a nonbinding resolution (a symbolic vote) which passed with 141 “ayes”...that called for Russia to “halt its war on Ukraine” and withdraw its military forces. Only five nations opposed the resolution...Russia of course, Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria...all nations within Putin's sphere of influence. But a big surprise was when Cuba, a staunch ally of Russia, abstained as well.

Also, by mid-week Russia claimed control of the southern port city of Kherson with Russian troops seen in the city's center. And as street battles continued on in Kharkiv, Kyiv braced itself for a Russian ground assault now that the stalled 40-mile long caravan of men, munitions, and assault equipment started slowly moving forward again with the end game being to circle Kyiv, move in, and take over the city.

And even though on Thursday the second round of ceasefire talks failed, Russia agreed not to fire on civilian evacuees. But with no guarantee that will hold true, and with the eyes of the world continuing to rightfully vilify Putin for his invasion of Ukraine, Putin continued to not only challenge current world order by attempting to change national borders, but he did so via his committing atrocities that equate to a possible charge of “war crimes” being leveled against both he and his generals. How so? According to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, war crimes include the willful killing and extensive destruction of property “not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.” And how could Putin's actions be anything less than criminal as he invaded a country who was not at war with Russia nor posed any threat to Russia.

 

 

And Ukraine's hell week also saw Russian forces seizing Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest of Europe's nuclear plants. Hit by Russian shelling early Friday morning, a fire broke out in a parking lot near one of plant's six reactors, but Ukrainian authorities said the safety of the reactors had not been compromised. However, if the fighting continues it could “interrupt” power to the plant forcing the use of less dependable diesel generators to operate needed cooling systems. And so all of Europe is now on alert for Chernobyl did what it did with but its one reactor melting down, imagine if all six of Zaporizhzhia's were breached. Simply, half of Europe and even parts of Russia would become uninhabitable for decades to come.

So with Friday's decision by NATO not to place a "no-fly-zone" over Ukraine, Russian violence is escalating along with reports that Putin plans to hold public executions of dissidents and captured Ukraine fighters alike. And with protests against Russia continuing worldwide, including in parts of Russia itself, Putin has ordered a media blackout throughout his country for fear that the truth of atrocities being committed against Ukraine in Russia's name would not sit well with the Russian people. 

And with his still alluding to Russian nuclear capabilities, world leaders and foreign policy experts now fear that Vladimir Putin might be both paranoid and delusional for only a “madman”...a “sociopath”...would put his nation’s nuclear forces on alert after invading a neighboring country by falsely claiming he did so in “self-defense.”  And while I understand why some now question Putin's sanity itself, I instead see him as somewhat successfully having played the world via actions we should have seen coming but didn't. For months Putin has left a trail of clues we should have picked up on but didn't as we instead had our and the world's eyes focused on what were cleverly crafted diversionary tactics...and here, I believe, enters China and Covid-19, topped off with China's refusal to sanction or even condemn Russia's actions, with the reasons for doing so hiding in obviously plain sight.

Also, it must be remembered that Vladimir Putin remains a former KGB official who specialized in killing, and is a man who has continuously violated international law and committed human rights violations, just ask those living in Chechnya and Georgia. And his reason for doing so was then as it is now with Ukraine, in that Putin claims he only sent in troops to protect Russians residing in countries who wished to be “re-united with the motherland.” But it's unfortunate that until now, he has gotten away with it, while at the same time masking his true intentions of rebuilding the all encompassing Russian Empire of old. Restoring Russian dominance over former Soviet satellite states, courtesy of negating Ukraine as a sovereign nation via his claim that Ukraine is linked “geographically, historically, and culturally” to “Mother Russia” is just his first step in not only empire building but in hoped for Russian world domination

Now seeing himself as the self-appointed Czar of all Russia, Putin is a master of turning any perceived weakness shown by others into an opportunity to bolster both himself and "Mother Russia." And so he waited out Trump to seize the opportunity that a weak Joe Biden easily afforded him. And know that Putin has never hidden his true political agenda...an agenda that includes his stopping American dominance over global affairs... what he calls a “unipolar world.” And Putin truly believes that America wants to expand NATO to Russia's borders forgetting that what he's now doing actually sees Russia on NATO's borders. But does he care...of course not for Vladimir Putin sees himself as the incarnate of Hitler's supposed military genius minus the mass exterminations, the ovens, and the camps.

So, the question is can Vladimir Putin truly be stopped?

Yes he can be, but only by literally taking him out. And whether some like it or not the truth is that Vladimir Putin must die as well as those in his inner circle...as in loyalists to Putin himself or to another just like him or worse...and to their goal of Russian world domination. And it must be done post-haste either by someone or even a group of someones in the Russian military who know the wrongs being committed in Russia's name, or by a rogue agent willing to risk his or her own life so that not only will Ukraine's hell finally be over, but so the Russian people themselves can be free of communist dictatorial rule. Remember, communism has proven to be but a failed political and economic system originally put into place to bolster the misguided concept of "dictatorship of the proletariat."

So now as I end this article it's day 12 of Russia's war on Ukraine, and it ends with Russia's military having shelled both a second Ukraine nuclear power plant as well as buses full of civilians trying to flee the outskirts of Kyiv. And with, to date, 1.5 million Ukrainians having become refugees while thousands on both sides lay dead, know that even if Putin wins said war it does not necessarily mean he will ever be able to keep what passes in the end for peace. Simply, if Vladimir Putin is not out of the picture the words of Albert Einstein can indeed come back to haunt for after Putin's initiated war ends...a war that could easily turn into a nuclear driven WW III...the next war will indeed be fought with “sticks and stones.” Case closed.

Copyright © 2022 / Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.   

*************************************************************************************                For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, The Cause, Effect, and Ripple Effects of Globalism. 

 

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 8th from 7 to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori will discuss 'Ukraine's Hell...Only One Solution Is Possible'; 'The Cause, Effect, and Ripple Effects of Globalism' and the latest news of the day.

Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com. Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50 pm EST with the show beginning at 7pm EST.