The Stan R. Mitchell report for 4/5/22.
Discover more from The View from the Front. By Stan R. Mitchell.
The Stan R. Mitchell report for 4/5/22.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start!
The most shocking news since my last newsletter was the discovery of executed civilians in the town of Bucha. More than 400, with some found with their arms bound behind their backs and executed.
The Russian government immediately claimed it was all false, blaming the Ukrainians for using actors and staged media tours. But those statements fell apart within hours.
With both visual footage from satellites, as well as the length of time the bodies had been decomposing.
President Biden stated that he thinks there should be a war crimes trial for the atrocities.
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around all of these murders and attacks on civilians (Rape as a weapon: huge scale of sexual violence inflicted in Ukraine emerges). You can’t put it all on Putin, as he isn’t in control of each soldier’s actions.
Partly, I think it’s an undisciplined army, with poor leadership.
But there’s something deeper here, too. There was a viral video on Twitter that was made before the war even happened. And you can see the hatred and disgust that many Russian feel toward Ukrainians. (“Khokhol” carries a negative connotation and is mainly used by Russians to address Ukrainians.)
As the previous tweet to this one said, which I’m not sharing because it lacks subtitles, “Nobody is forcing these people to act like this, to use slurs, to tell this Ukrainian man they hate us as soon as they see him. They are pretty much anonymous on the internet. Putin is not forcing them. Nobody is paying them. They just hate. Hate.”
Obviously, some Russians have protested the war. And some Russians have family ties across the border. But these horrors (and this video) cause me to wonder if there isn’t more hatred than we initially suspected between the two countries. Who, after all, have been at war with each other since 2014.
Moving away from such unpleasantness and horror, I mentioned in the last newsletter that Virginia Congresswoman Elaine Luria blasted the Navy for its upcoming budget, which cuts the number of ships down. (If you missed it, you really need to go read it here: The Stan R. Mitchell report for 4/1/22.)
Now, it appears Congress may turn down the Navy’s request.
If you read the story, you’ll see in many ways, this is a Navy versus Marine Corps battle. The very ships the Navy wants to cut are the top priority for the Marine Corps. (This is quite similar to when the Air Force wants to cut planes used for ground support and focus instead on fighters or other “more sexy” projects than ground-hugging, old-frame A-10 Warthogs…)
Here’s another great article on the subject, which goes a little more in depth.
Speaking of the Marine Corps, my beloved service is in the fight for its soul, so to speak. And I’m torn on where I really stand. I mostly think it’s changing too quickly and that we should leave infantry battalions as they were when I was in.
But I’m also cognizant that I’m a bit older and warfare has changed a great deal than even when I served twenty years ago. But if you want to get into what’s happening, the article below is a good one to explore.
With all the talk about gas prices and oil production, here’s a reminder on what you need to know about OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. These countries control nearly 40 percent of the world’s oil supply.
The article below is a good, short summary of the group.
Moving along to tech news, we’ve talked in the past about drone swarms. And how they might be stopped.
The below video is an ABSOLUTE must-watch on how to stop drones, at least against bases and hardened positions. It also discusses the shortcomings of trying to shoot down drones with gunfire or missiles.
A perfect, high-level review, all in just a bit over three minutes.
Finally, let’s end with some motivation and wisdom.
First, how about this incredible story, of how we can all be the change around us.
Here’s that above story, with it NOT behind a paywall. (The short of the story is a student realized that hundreds of salamanders were being killed on a road at night, and after some study, a town closed a single street for a short time at night during the time when they travel. Not only were the salamanders saved, but a festival was also launched and it became its own point of pride for a town.)
Now, moving on:
That’s it for this edition. As a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
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Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
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