Greetings from Tyler,
Everyone is caught up in the conundrum of the missing Malaysian jet liner. Did it crash, or was it diverted? Turn on any TV or radio news and you will hear conflicting speculation of all kinds, but nobody seems to know what became of it. Now its being reported that one of the pilots is, or was, a deeply religious Muslim named Mohamed. Let’s hope that’s not a clue.
The other subject dominating everyone’s attention is Russia’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Somehow it has come about that there is to be a referendum vote later this weekend as to whether Crimea should agree to Russian annexation. With Putin’s troops all over the streets and surrounding Ukrainian military bases, we don’t have to wonder much about the outcome.
There is evidence that Russia may be quietly moving financial holdings out of the United States. And there are those who suggest that the U.S. should move quickly to punish Russia economically by refusing to honor the Russian ruble. This thing could begin to have economic consequences that will reverberate throughout the world’s financial system, and may already have.
With the United States perceived to be in retreat all around the world, Putin is not expected to blink. In fact, some of the best analysts see rogue actors emboldened everywhere. Iran has flaunted its defiance toward the U.S., even more vehemently since the useless Vienna accords, and been rewarded with an end to the crippling economic sanctions. In fact, American influence appears to have evaporated all over the Middle East. Official bluster, peppered with half-baked threats, had zero effect over the ongoing bloodbath in Syria. Egypt has gone its own way, disgusted with Washington’s love affair with Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Libya has fallen, again.
It seems that the only “enemies” the current administration will actually pursue with vigilance are American citizens who love their country, the Constitution, and our historical tradition of living in harmony with God’s laws. That fact is not lost on the rest of the world. Dictators, rogue regimes and terrorists know they can commit acts of violence and aggression wherever they please, and the response will be little more than bluster and empty threats. Who knows? It may even turn out to have something to do with the missing airliner.
Until next time,
Mark Armstrong
