American Traitors

Several days ago I stumbled across this picture while doing my usual internet exploring. At first, I figured it was fake until I realized I had personally heard people in this country speak in open admiration for Vlad Putin for several years now. These individuals range from a formerly well known political conservative television talking head to several rank and file morons I have the misfortune to encounter on an all too regular basis. Doesn't matter that Putin casually orders the murders of journalists in his own country to using nerve gas in Britain to assassinate dissidents. This says nothing of his relentless crackdown on basic human rights to the point Russia is pretty much flirting with totalitarianism again. Yeah, food and material goods are far more plentiful as compared to the Soviet days, but don't for a second step outside the government approved behaviors.

This bizarre and anti-American fan club started back during the Obama Administration. Yes dear folks that means there's a massive racist component to liking a tough, murderous white guy over the freely and honestly elected black guy. Oh, to go back to the heady and naive days before the 2008 presidential election when brain dead political pundits went mouthing off about a “post-racial America.” I'm sure at some point in the future, political science majors will write their dissertations on how even in twenty-first century America can't shake its racist underpinnings to the point many have abandoned all pretense to its stated principles.

To be fair, if you read some hard-left progressive writers there are a few that mouth a similar incredulous line about how Russia is just being picked on by the West. But here in America, the Putin fan club is overwhelmingly the property of the right-wingers because a similar piece of shit occupies the White House right now.

Recently I re-watched the Ken Burn's historical documentary on Vietnam. Anyone with a love of history or just a basic interest in that period needs to get Netflix and binge every episode. What caused me to laugh was the reaction true blue conservatives had, and still have, to Jane Fonda's visit to North Vietnam during the worst of that war. Yeah, while I am a solid liberal Democrat, Jane's actions were beyond the pale, especially sitting on an North Vietnam antiaircraft gun and having her picture taken looking through the sights.

Here's the issue I can't wrap around my head. All the evidence from numerous intelligence agencies clearly spells out that Putin ordered his people to interfere in the 2016 American presidential election in favor of Trump. This was an attack on par with Pearl Harbor and as far as I am concerned we are at war with Russia right now and will be for the foreseeable future. All that matters to the MAGA folks is that Putin's interference helped them. With their love of Putin's whiteness, they overlook the fact that next time he might screw them instead of supporting Trump. 

The problem now is that we have possibly millions of twenty-first century Jane Fondas here in America running around applauding Putin for is actions. Forget the basic tenets of democracy like honest elections, human rights, and open government. These people have dropped all that because they hate fellow Americans exercising their own basic rights. It's not about fair and open debate anymore, Putin is their ace in the hole. He not only represents their same backward beliefs, he's got the same skin tone as theirs.

To me, that amounts to a treasonous double whammy. From now on, I figure Jane's actions are microscopic in comparison.