Hello ebear; Sorry I have been a bit out of touch. I am working every day on my site about Russian books. I am about 40% into the one you and I talked about months ago. From Rus to Russia. This is the one with the graphics. It is very detailed about Kievan RUS and thereafter.
I don't know if Ancient Kiev is thought by Ukraine as their private heritage? I am sure they do, but it is the heritage of all of Russia. Actually it is a terrible history of brigand princes and continual internecine warfare and wholesale killing for 3 or 4 generations. Eight power-centers continually traded places trying to rule the roost. Lies, betrayal, intrigue and poisoning each other, were all they could come up with.
Somehow people were pressed into the army, and willingly fought with each other, again and again. Does it remind you of how it is today? We explain it from our (enlightened) viewpoint that they weren't smart enough to resist. I don't really accept that. I am coming to the idea that populations are most always complicit in their own subjugation. That is the part nobody is looking for. And nobody dares to suggest it.
I saw your comprehensive post on Big Serge. You really hit on some good questions. What is this conflict doing to the domestic populations on both sides?? I think on the Russian side we can make some sense of it.
Ukraine is a complete mystery to me. You proposed some ideas and said you knew some Ukrainian people. A couple years back I checked the population (and economic) trends in all the post-Soviet Republics. In so many of them that got into the EU, the population went down. Clearly they joined the EU to get the hell out of their own impoverished country. They say that there are 10 million Ukrainian refugees now in the EU, so they got their desire, even without joining.
I was in the army, but we never understood war. We would have been totally resistant if we thought that our attack was only to hold a line for a half day, until we were killed. And then the next dumbo will be sent in tomorrow to hold it for another half day, and he be eliminated. Better to die by shooting my Colonel, if I could get to him, or just the lieutenant or staff sergeant. I was never placed in any such position.
Armchair generals fuss of what the real losses in Ukraine are. It is the easiest thing to understand. There are maybe 10 battlefields up and down 1000 km. Ukraine attacks in "waves", 3 - 6 every day. So they send in 50 waves/day of 20 - 60 soldiers. They make "progress" on 3 attacks. 47 are repelled.
What does it mean to be repelled? What are their military orders about when you can turn back? Just add up those losses and you get 1000's. I fully believe that Ukraine has more losses in 19 months than the US had in all of WWII. Within a short time they will have more losses than the US had in all military action for the total 20th and 21st centuries.
If you are a subscriber to Simplicius, you could ask a reader question next time. What is his analysis of the Ukrainian driving force. What will they achieve if they "win back" all their territory? Billionaires will get all the resources and the means of production, and the population will be back to their $10/day per-capita GDP. That is the $10 that they are fighting for. Could you stop the war by sending all Ukrainians $10?
Like I say, it is a total mystery. The patriotism line is BS.
Hello again. Sorry about the delay replying. I'm up to my neck in alligators lately. Trying to finish some work on the house before the bad weather sets in, and one of our customers has just merged with another company which has increased the loads we have to haul by about 20%, but without 20% more drivers, which is a problem in general with trucking in North America. No one wants to do this kind of work anymore. So although I'm part-time and typically work only 2 days a week, they've been leaning on me to cover more runs lately. I expect this will slow down in a few weeks, but until then my time is limited.
To answer why it is the UAF keeps up the offensive, there's a simple reason. They have embedded nationalists in every unit, and those guys will shoot you if you try to retreat or surrender. It's the old Red Army system from the GPW basically. In some cases soldiers have killed their minders in order to surrender, but that's a big step to take since most soldiers in this conflict never have to kill anyone. Most of the time they don't even see the enemy, it being mainly an artillery war. Russia drops leaflets with a radio frequency and call sign for those who wish to surrender, and when they are able to, some take advantage of that.
Any way you look at it this is a demographic catastrophe for Ukraine. Most of the people outside the country won't be returning. 70% according to a recent survey. Of course now they're talking about deporting men of fighting age back to Ukraine, so there's yet another twist to the story.
You mention some of the history, but one thing that's left out of most accounts is the fact that Ukraine is the old Pale of Settlement from Czarist times. I imagine you've read 200 Years Together which goes into detail on what that means. I know Solzhenitsyn is controversial in Russia and in the West for various reasons, and I'm not in a position to judge his work, but I suspect this has something to do with the conflict, given how many of the principles, both in the USA and Ukraine, are Jewish. Then of course there are the theories about Khazaria, which I'm also in no position to comment on, I just noticed that these things come up in the conversation from time to time.
Another aspect to the conflict is that many of the weapons being given to Ukraine are winding up in Africa. I think that's the next proxy war, pitting France and NATO against Russia and China, especially now that Wagner is out of the picture. Hell of a situation. Glad I'm not in it, although my government has decided to pick a side, which I strongly object to. Pandering to people of Ukrainian ancestry is how I see it. There's about 1M people in that category and the liberal party wants their votes. Most of them are descendents of people who came to build the railroad in the late 19th Century. They settled in the praries because there was free land and it looked like home. That's why the Chinese were brought in to finish the most dangerous part over the mountains. Unfortunately, not all Ukrainians in Canada descend from those times. Some were brought in as part of Operation Paper Clip at the end of WWII.
Hello ebear. Of course I know about "barrier troops". I feel sure that it goes much deeper than that. I don't know what it is though, and that's what I am asking, what is the effect on the population? Many have fled to Europe. Is there nowhere else to go? Canada had protected Americans that wouldn't fight in Vietnam. Will Europe send them back into the carnage?
I opened this post because of your post on Big Serge. Otherwise these subjects are beyond what I follow.
It is the wave theory of continual frontal attack that is mind boggling. You couldn't do that in the west, I feel sure. It is like "the Charge of the Light Brigade", the Cossack Calvary charging a machine gun position, getting mowed down, but also reaching the line and killing every enemy. They were all completely drunk when they mounted the charge.
Even Vikings would also eat some mushrooms or something and be more fierce in battles.
At a certain point soldiers might feel that they only have weeks to live, so why not now than later? They know it is a high percentage of a suicide operation. And if they make it, they are in for the next attack. In stories of Mongol warriors, they had a life span of 30 years. Every one of them died from a sword or an arrow. That was the meaning of their life.
Most of "my" history is older. From Rus to Russia goes up until 1725. "Rus" means Kievan Rus. I know it in great detail from 800 - 1400. I don't claim that was the Ukraine, or any different people. We'll see if they talk again about the Ukraine at a later date. I have uploaded a detailed history of Khazaria: https://library4conciliation.substack.com/p/preview-gumilev-the-discovery-of
not too long about 90 pages. It is in 4 segments, (plus a 5th add-on), so each segment is a shorter read.
Of his two most important books, I have edited the historical one. Ancient Rus and the Great Steppe. It covers the same ground as from Rus to Russia but in more detail. So maybe I will save that for next year, because too soon it would be repetitive. The other one is his theoretical work, Ethnogenesis and the Biosphere. I've edited that one about 20%, and will try to put some time in it every day.
I am staying with Gumilev in these months. I suppose there are many informative books from all over. Although I am getting used to how Gumilev writes (and thinks). He is fascinating with ancient history. It is really way too much to readily absorb. But as I read more, I meet these events again and again. They start to make more sense.
Quite honestly, I never read old books for decades and decades. I had the belief that they are missing all these radical current events, and that they can't possibly tie it all together. But ancient history is how we think, even if it is buried very deep. Once you see it, it's not difficult to want to look for a new paradigm.
How about going back to our earlier conversation? You mentioned 4 important authors. What are some of their main points that break new ground? Are they still relevant? Let's talk about it.
When Jason went after the golden fleece in what we now know as Ukraine what exactly was that golden fleece?
I don't know why the Crimean pagans (Greeks of multiple gods) took longer to take the new religion to heart than their mediterranean cousins but they supposedly did unless that is just nonsense around timelines.
Khazaria was sort of a mystery country around the Caspian sea, made up of locals and Western Turks. Obedia was kind of a mystery man, (where he came from and who backed him). He was neither a Karaite nor Hazara. But he gained enough money to hire mercenaries and made a coup in Khazaria some time around the early 800's. From then on these Jews ran Khazaria, and were in a perfect choke-point position to control the silk trade routes.
The Jewish traditions were that the Jewish rights were passed on through the Jewish mother. Her children were honored and taught the Talmudic teaching. If the father was not Jewish, no matter, these children held the future.
But if the mother was a Khazar native, and even if the father was Jewish, the child was a disgraces. There was no education for them and no future. When these children matured, they generally moved out to Crimea and started their own community. So technically they were not Jews, and I don't think they claimed to be, most of them at least.
No one was going to convert the population of Khazaria to Judaism. The Jewish sages kept the covenant of Jehovah for the chosen people, who now received all the accrued benefits associated with leadership positions.
test post
Hello ebear; Sorry I have been a bit out of touch. I am working every day on my site about Russian books. I am about 40% into the one you and I talked about months ago. From Rus to Russia. This is the one with the graphics. It is very detailed about Kievan RUS and thereafter.
I don't know if Ancient Kiev is thought by Ukraine as their private heritage? I am sure they do, but it is the heritage of all of Russia. Actually it is a terrible history of brigand princes and continual internecine warfare and wholesale killing for 3 or 4 generations. Eight power-centers continually traded places trying to rule the roost. Lies, betrayal, intrigue and poisoning each other, were all they could come up with.
Somehow people were pressed into the army, and willingly fought with each other, again and again. Does it remind you of how it is today? We explain it from our (enlightened) viewpoint that they weren't smart enough to resist. I don't really accept that. I am coming to the idea that populations are most always complicit in their own subjugation. That is the part nobody is looking for. And nobody dares to suggest it.
I saw your comprehensive post on Big Serge. You really hit on some good questions. What is this conflict doing to the domestic populations on both sides?? I think on the Russian side we can make some sense of it.
Ukraine is a complete mystery to me. You proposed some ideas and said you knew some Ukrainian people. A couple years back I checked the population (and economic) trends in all the post-Soviet Republics. In so many of them that got into the EU, the population went down. Clearly they joined the EU to get the hell out of their own impoverished country. They say that there are 10 million Ukrainian refugees now in the EU, so they got their desire, even without joining.
I was in the army, but we never understood war. We would have been totally resistant if we thought that our attack was only to hold a line for a half day, until we were killed. And then the next dumbo will be sent in tomorrow to hold it for another half day, and he be eliminated. Better to die by shooting my Colonel, if I could get to him, or just the lieutenant or staff sergeant. I was never placed in any such position.
Armchair generals fuss of what the real losses in Ukraine are. It is the easiest thing to understand. There are maybe 10 battlefields up and down 1000 km. Ukraine attacks in "waves", 3 - 6 every day. So they send in 50 waves/day of 20 - 60 soldiers. They make "progress" on 3 attacks. 47 are repelled.
What does it mean to be repelled? What are their military orders about when you can turn back? Just add up those losses and you get 1000's. I fully believe that Ukraine has more losses in 19 months than the US had in all of WWII. Within a short time they will have more losses than the US had in all military action for the total 20th and 21st centuries.
If you are a subscriber to Simplicius, you could ask a reader question next time. What is his analysis of the Ukrainian driving force. What will they achieve if they "win back" all their territory? Billionaires will get all the resources and the means of production, and the population will be back to their $10/day per-capita GDP. That is the $10 that they are fighting for. Could you stop the war by sending all Ukrainians $10?
Like I say, it is a total mystery. The patriotism line is BS.
.
Hello again. Sorry about the delay replying. I'm up to my neck in alligators lately. Trying to finish some work on the house before the bad weather sets in, and one of our customers has just merged with another company which has increased the loads we have to haul by about 20%, but without 20% more drivers, which is a problem in general with trucking in North America. No one wants to do this kind of work anymore. So although I'm part-time and typically work only 2 days a week, they've been leaning on me to cover more runs lately. I expect this will slow down in a few weeks, but until then my time is limited.
To answer why it is the UAF keeps up the offensive, there's a simple reason. They have embedded nationalists in every unit, and those guys will shoot you if you try to retreat or surrender. It's the old Red Army system from the GPW basically. In some cases soldiers have killed their minders in order to surrender, but that's a big step to take since most soldiers in this conflict never have to kill anyone. Most of the time they don't even see the enemy, it being mainly an artillery war. Russia drops leaflets with a radio frequency and call sign for those who wish to surrender, and when they are able to, some take advantage of that.
Any way you look at it this is a demographic catastrophe for Ukraine. Most of the people outside the country won't be returning. 70% according to a recent survey. Of course now they're talking about deporting men of fighting age back to Ukraine, so there's yet another twist to the story.
You mention some of the history, but one thing that's left out of most accounts is the fact that Ukraine is the old Pale of Settlement from Czarist times. I imagine you've read 200 Years Together which goes into detail on what that means. I know Solzhenitsyn is controversial in Russia and in the West for various reasons, and I'm not in a position to judge his work, but I suspect this has something to do with the conflict, given how many of the principles, both in the USA and Ukraine, are Jewish. Then of course there are the theories about Khazaria, which I'm also in no position to comment on, I just noticed that these things come up in the conversation from time to time.
Another aspect to the conflict is that many of the weapons being given to Ukraine are winding up in Africa. I think that's the next proxy war, pitting France and NATO against Russia and China, especially now that Wagner is out of the picture. Hell of a situation. Glad I'm not in it, although my government has decided to pick a side, which I strongly object to. Pandering to people of Ukrainian ancestry is how I see it. There's about 1M people in that category and the liberal party wants their votes. Most of them are descendents of people who came to build the railroad in the late 19th Century. They settled in the praries because there was free land and it looked like home. That's why the Chinese were brought in to finish the most dangerous part over the mountains. Unfortunately, not all Ukrainians in Canada descend from those times. Some were brought in as part of Operation Paper Clip at the end of WWII.
https://www.saskculture.ca/impact/success-stories/ukrainian-cultural-identity-deeply-rooted-in-province
Hello ebear. Of course I know about "barrier troops". I feel sure that it goes much deeper than that. I don't know what it is though, and that's what I am asking, what is the effect on the population? Many have fled to Europe. Is there nowhere else to go? Canada had protected Americans that wouldn't fight in Vietnam. Will Europe send them back into the carnage?
I opened this post because of your post on Big Serge. Otherwise these subjects are beyond what I follow.
It is the wave theory of continual frontal attack that is mind boggling. You couldn't do that in the west, I feel sure. It is like "the Charge of the Light Brigade", the Cossack Calvary charging a machine gun position, getting mowed down, but also reaching the line and killing every enemy. They were all completely drunk when they mounted the charge.
Even Vikings would also eat some mushrooms or something and be more fierce in battles.
At a certain point soldiers might feel that they only have weeks to live, so why not now than later? They know it is a high percentage of a suicide operation. And if they make it, they are in for the next attack. In stories of Mongol warriors, they had a life span of 30 years. Every one of them died from a sword or an arrow. That was the meaning of their life.
Most of "my" history is older. From Rus to Russia goes up until 1725. "Rus" means Kievan Rus. I know it in great detail from 800 - 1400. I don't claim that was the Ukraine, or any different people. We'll see if they talk again about the Ukraine at a later date. I have uploaded a detailed history of Khazaria: https://library4conciliation.substack.com/p/preview-gumilev-the-discovery-of
not too long about 90 pages. It is in 4 segments, (plus a 5th add-on), so each segment is a shorter read.
Of his two most important books, I have edited the historical one. Ancient Rus and the Great Steppe. It covers the same ground as from Rus to Russia but in more detail. So maybe I will save that for next year, because too soon it would be repetitive. The other one is his theoretical work, Ethnogenesis and the Biosphere. I've edited that one about 20%, and will try to put some time in it every day.
I am staying with Gumilev in these months. I suppose there are many informative books from all over. Although I am getting used to how Gumilev writes (and thinks). He is fascinating with ancient history. It is really way too much to readily absorb. But as I read more, I meet these events again and again. They start to make more sense.
Quite honestly, I never read old books for decades and decades. I had the belief that they are missing all these radical current events, and that they can't possibly tie it all together. But ancient history is how we think, even if it is buried very deep. Once you see it, it's not difficult to want to look for a new paradigm.
How about going back to our earlier conversation? You mentioned 4 important authors. What are some of their main points that break new ground? Are they still relevant? Let's talk about it.
.
When Jason went after the golden fleece in what we now know as Ukraine what exactly was that golden fleece?
I don't know why the Crimean pagans (Greeks of multiple gods) took longer to take the new religion to heart than their mediterranean cousins but they supposedly did unless that is just nonsense around timelines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_Karaites
etc etc
Khazaria was sort of a mystery country around the Caspian sea, made up of locals and Western Turks. Obedia was kind of a mystery man, (where he came from and who backed him). He was neither a Karaite nor Hazara. But he gained enough money to hire mercenaries and made a coup in Khazaria some time around the early 800's. From then on these Jews ran Khazaria, and were in a perfect choke-point position to control the silk trade routes.
The Jewish traditions were that the Jewish rights were passed on through the Jewish mother. Her children were honored and taught the Talmudic teaching. If the father was not Jewish, no matter, these children held the future.
But if the mother was a Khazar native, and even if the father was Jewish, the child was a disgraces. There was no education for them and no future. When these children matured, they generally moved out to Crimea and started their own community. So technically they were not Jews, and I don't think they claimed to be, most of them at least.
No one was going to convert the population of Khazaria to Judaism. The Jewish sages kept the covenant of Jehovah for the chosen people, who now received all the accrued benefits associated with leadership positions.
.
History is bunk. You need to read this book;
https://www.amazon.com.au/Argonauts-Desert-Structural-Analysis-Hebrew/dp/1845539249