The Trump-Zelensky Conflict is of History, but not why you might think.

Presidents Trump and Zelensky are approaching Russia’s Ukraine aggression from a different historical perspective. President Trump is looking from an American record of failed military involvements since WWI, resulting in large losses of American soldiers, especially Iraq twice, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. These wars have weakened America. President Trump believes Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia, whose size, population, and resources will ultimately outlast Russia. President trump is essentially adopting FDR’s 1940 campaign promise: “Now, mothers and fathers, I am talking to you. As I have said and will say again, again, and again, I will not send your sons to fight in a foreign war.” FDR was in fact doing everything he could to support England in the fight against Hitler and plan for war. President Trump also in 2016 said “America First” before adopting MAGA. President Trump also wants a U.S. share of Poland’s minerals, many of which are currently in Russian occupied territory. President Zelensky is willing to sign a minerals deal, but only with security that Poland will not be attacked again. President Trump is unwilling to enter into an agreement that might place American soldiers at risk. President Zelensky has the European reality that President Vladimir Putin is emanating Adolph Hitler. Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 and soon acquired full power. He began remilitarizing and entered in a series of territorial acquisitions. He first reentered the demilitarized Rhineland in March 1936, which was separated after WWI and placed under French protection. France did nothing. Then Hitler arranged the Anschluss on March 12, 1938 with Austria with the two German speaking countries becoming one. He then demanded the German populated enclave of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain acquiesced at Munich asserting “we have peace for our time.” Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. The West stood by. President Kennedy wrote a senior thesis at Harvard which became a bestselling book, “While England Slept.” World War II officially started on September 1, 1939 when Hitler in cahoots with Stalin invaded Poland. Putin seized part of Georgia and the Crimea in Ukraine with the goal of recreating the greater Russian/Soviet Empire. He stationed troops, naval power, and air forces in Syria in 2015. Poland is especially wary of Russia. Stalin invaded the eastern half of Poland on September 17, 1939, two weeks after Hitler. Then came the Polish Home Army rebelling against the Nazis on August 1, 1944, when the Red Army reached the banks of the Vistula River. Their expectancy was to unite with the Red Army in liberating Warsaw. Stalin instead ordered his Army to stay out of the conflict. Let the Poles and Germans fight each other. The Poles finally capitulated with many of its leaders executed by Stalin and Beria after the war. I’ve been in the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw. It not only vilifies Germany, but also Russia. School children visiting the museum are taught the perfidy of Russia. Poland, the Baltic Republics, Finland, eastern and western Europe, Hungary and Czechoslovakia have felt the boot of military oppression by Russia. They fear a victorious Putin if Ukraine falls. Putin has a grandiose ambition. Poland is geographically handicapped by being stuck between Germany and Russia. Germany is currently a peaceful friend. Russia is not. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people remember the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet empire. Ukraine had a large army and roughly 1900 nuclear weapons upon independence in 1991. They were induced by President Clinton to surrender their nuclear weapons pursuant to the non-proliferation campaign. They received security assurances by the United States, United Kingdom and Russia. How did that work out when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014? President Trump’s challenge is not to secure a short-term peace leaving Ukraine open to further Russian aggression, in short, not to go down in history as the second coming of Chamberlain and Munich. President Trump said President Zelensky is courting WWIII by rejecting his proposals. Europe, especially Poland, fears Putin will start WWIII if he succeeds in Ukraine. Presidents Trump and Zelensky are approaching Russia’s Ukraine aggression from a different historical perspective. President Trump is looking from an American record of failed military involvements since WWI, resulting in large losses of American soldiers, especially Iraq twice, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. These wars have weakened America. President Trump believes Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia, whose size, population, and resources will ultimately outlast Russia. President trump is essentially adopting FDR’s 1940 campaign promise: “Now, mothers and fathers, I am talking to you. As I have said and will say again, again, and again, I will not send your sons to fight in a foreign war.” FDR was in fact doing everything he could to support England in the fight against Hitler and plan for war. President Trump also in 2016 said “America First” before adopting MAGA. President Trump also wants a U.S. share of Poland’s minerals, many of which are currently in Russian occupied territory. President Zelensky is willing to sign a minerals deal, but only with security that Poland will not be attacked again. President Trump is unwilling to enter into an agreement that might place American soldiers at risk. President Zelensky has the European reality that President Vladimir Putin is emanating Adolph Hitler. Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 and soon acquired full power. He began remilitarizing and entered in a series of territorial acquisitions. He first reentered the demilitarized Rhineland in March 1936, which was separated after WWI and placed under French protection. France did nothing. Then Hitler arranged the Anschluss on March 12, 1938 with Austria with the two German speaking countries becoming one. He then demanded the German populated enclave of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain acquiesced at Munich asserting “we have peace for our time.” Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. The West stood by. President Kennedy wrote a senior thesis at Harvard which became a bestselling book, “While England Slept.” World War II officially started on September 1, 1939 when Hitler in cahoots with Stalin invaded Poland. Putin seized part of Georgia and the Crimea in Ukraine with the goal of recreating the greater Russian/Soviet Empire. He stationed troops, naval power, and air forces in Syria in 2015. Poland is especially wary of Russia. Stalin invaded the eastern half of Poland on September 17, 1939,two weeks after Hitler. Then came the Polish Home Army rebelling against the Nazis on August 1, 1944, when the Red Army reached the banks of the Vistula River. Their expectancy was to unite with the Red Army in liberating Warsaw. Stalin instead ordered his Army to stay out of the conflict. Let the Poles and Germans fight each other. The Poles finally capitulated with many of its leaders executed by Stalin and Beria after the war. I’ve been in the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw. It not only vilifies Germany, but also Russia. School children visiting the museum are taught the perfidy of Russia. Poland, the Baltic Republics, Finland, eastern and western Europe, Hungary and Czechoslovakia have felt the boot of military oppression by Russia. They fear a victorious Putin if Ukraine falls. Putin has a grandiose ambition. Poland is geographically handicapped by being stuck between Germany and Russia. Germany is currently a peaceful friend. Russia is not. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people remember the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet empire. Ukraine had a large army and roughly 1900 nuclear weapons upon independence in 1991. They were induced by President Clinton to surrender their nuclear weapons pursuant to the non-proliferation campaign. They received security assurances by the United States, United Kingdom and Russia. How did that work out when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014? President Trump’s challenge is not to secure a short-term peace leaving Ukraine open to further Russian aggression, in short, not to go down in history as the second coming of Chamberlain and Munich. President Trump said President Zelensky is courting WWIII by rejecting his proposals. Europe, especially Poland, fears Putin will start WWIII if he succeeds in Ukraine.

Mayor Karen Bass Throws LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley Under the Bus, More Precisely under a Broken Fire Engine

Nero fiddled while Rome was burning. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was sipping cocktails at a reception in Ghana while her city was burning on January 7. Instead of really accepting blame she resorted to Plan B, deflect blame on someone else. She apologized for being out of the country, but blamed her absence, and the city’s unpreparedness, on Los Angeles Fire Chief (LAFD) Kristin Crowley, who she claimed had not notified her of the risk of the Santa Ana winds. She did not apologize for her $17 million budget cuts for the LAFD, which crippled its preparedness ability. The Mayor did not mention the warning letter Chief Crowley sent her a few weeks earlier about the extreme risk caused by the budget cuts. She did not mention, explain or apologize for seeking a $70 million cut in the LAFD budget. She did not mention, explain or apologize for gutting the Los Angeles Fire Department and imperiling public safety while giving a $316 million pay raise to unionized public employees in the first year, rising to $1 billion in 2028. Mayor is simply a politician focused on placating her base rather than the public good. Mayor Bass did not mention, explain, or apologize for a $750,000 appointment of Janisse Quinones as Director of the Department of Water and Power (DWP). Director Quinones was focused on bring DWI to DWP rather than fixing a reservoir above the Palisades and the scores of inoperable fire hydrants in the Palisades and neighboring communities. Director Quinones apparently still has her job. Mayor Bass was apparently the only person in the greater Los Angeles area who was unaware a mighty Santa Ana was approaching. The National Weather broadcast days of warnings including an extreme fire risk. It was on the media. She did no mention that over half of LAFD’s fire vehicles are stored fender to fender in a maintenance/storage yard because of a shortage of mechanics and parts. Only five firetrucks were prepositioned in advance of the January 7 Palisades Fire. That’s all that were available thanks to budget cuts and deferred maintenance. Mayor Bass and Possibly Governor Newsom seem to have abandoned climate change as the culprit. Everyone, except perhaps Mayor Bass, is well aware of the ferocity of the Santa Anas. Blaming them on climate change is like blaming climate change for hurricanes in Florida and New Orleans, and tornados in Tornado Alley. Her stoneface response in her return at LAX will an ad against in her future campaigns. She appeared catatonic or in shock. Her perennial smile fell off her face. Many leaders are never tested. They can sail through good times. Leaders can either step up or fail during an existential crisis. Karen Bass failed.