Cold War 2.0?

The current discord between the United States and Russia seems to be getting worse.  It clearly is not the 1980s Cold War all over again but it might be a new one.  And it seems ridiculous.

The United States seems to be hysterically shouting about everything the Russians may or may not have done.  It seems to date back to the Syrian crisis back in 2013 when Vladimir Putin acted more like a peacemaker (!) than a Barrack Obama who seemed determined to hit Damascus with a missile strike that would have done more harm than good.

After the Syrian lunacy, there was a definite carping tone in the US media about Russian shortcoming in the Olympics.  Everyone should have been happy that the normally inefficient Russkies managed to pull the whole thing off.

Then, during the Winter Olympics, the Ukrainian crisis erupted and the Russians reacted by seizing Crimea.  At no time, has the Russian concern that the democratically elected government of Ukraine was overthrown by neo-Nazis with what appeared to be at least tacit Western approval.  That feeds into Russian paranoia but no one in NATO seems to want to address that.

Now there are never ending sanctions, which are beginning to look like acts of war and don't appear to be doing any good since Russia's economy has few US links.  The Europeans will be hurt worse and it seems that France and Britain have no problems continuing to see weapons to Russia. 

Russia has been tossed out of the G-8 and seems to be turning the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) into a counter G-5.

Then came the clumsy effort to pin the tragedy of a Malaysian airliner shot down over Ukraine on Russia, accusations of Russian artillery hitting Ukrainian soil (but the "pictures" show no wreckage of actual targets) and now a shrill scream about an alleged violation of the 1987 INF treaty.

Next they will be shouting about taking the 2018 World Cup from Russia.

Like the Boy Who Cried Wolf, no one is going to take the United States seriously.

All Washington is doing, while Israel and Gaza burn, Libya turns into Mad Max Country, and our own southern border descends into chaos, is making matters worse.  Better to have constructive dialogue than to push Russia and China together into a continental alliance that will span most of the world.

Please, somebody in Washington look at a map.

Germany wins the World Cup!

Mario Gotze will never have to buy a drink in Germany again!

It took 123 minutes but Mario Gotze punched in the winning goal and Germany had its fourth World Cup! 

Despite the low score, it was a tight, well played game and Argentina fought Germany all the way to the end.  It was a shame that someone had to lose but it was obvious that these were the two best teams in the tournament.  If anyone lost, it was the Brazilian national team. Losing 7-0 is bad. Losing like that on your homefield is even worse. Compounding the humiliation was the shut out that the Netherlands plopped on Brazil in the third place game.

Germany rules the soccer world for the next four years.

Ann Coulter will be relieved to learn that Americans will be shifting their attention back to a more familiar form of football.

I am too.

GO STEELERS!

Soccer--threat to America?

Sorry, I don't see Ann Coulter's point.

When you have an argument between extremes, you find the truth is in the middle.

I don't think soccer is a threat to America nor do I see the USA ever becoming a soccer nation.  Ann Coulter of the right sees interest in soccer as an erosion of America's cultural identity while some goofball on the left think America will be a socialist paradise.

Both sides are wrong.

Ann said something to the effect that "if your grandfather was born here, you hate soccer."

My parents were born overseas and I don't hate soccer.

It is also not my favorite sport but I don't hate it.  My sport is football (American and Canadian), followed by hockey. Lacrosse, invented by the Iriqoouis indians, is #3 and clearly the most American of sports.  Soccer comes in around fourth place.  Baseball might drop in at fifth.  Maybe if the Pirates were not so bad, I might take a greater interest.

It is a beautiful game but Americans like lots of scoring and you don't see that in soccer.  I don't like the clock counting upward but that sees to be a tradition that is not going anywhere soon.  Still, it is a fun game.

The attraction of the World Cup is that it is something the whole world watches. The US has had teams in competition for it since the very first World Cup back in 1930.  We actually came in third!

The United States has the Atlantic and Pacific on its shores and Canada and Mexico for neighbors.  We have never been seriously invaded.  The US is, by nature, rather isolationist in cultural matters.  That does not mean you ignore the world. I don't think you can.  But you don't have to hate it.

Embrace what you like and stay away from what you don't like.

Go Steelers!

Happy Canada Day!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!