Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are intensifying military and civilian preparations for a possible Russian attack as uncertainty grows over future U.S. support for NATO, according to an exclusive report by The Atlantic.
The report described military exercises, rising defense spending and broader preparations across the Baltic states, where governments and communities are planning for scenarios ranging from limited Russian incursions to a wider conflict.
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(Theory of Stupidity)
Why do smart, educated people often give up their own judgment? Three weeks before his execution in 1943, pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a chilling breakdown of human psychology from a Nazi prison cell:
"Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice."
In this video, we unpack Bonhoeffer's Theory of Stupidity"explaining why evil has limits, why facts cannot cure a closed mind, and how group identity forces good people to stop thinking for themselves.
(less than 5 mins, animated/with Transcript)
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"The Atlantic said uncertainty over Washington's commitment to NATO has added to security concerns in the Baltics.
Trump has repeatedly discussed the possibility of taking the U.S. out of NATO. During his 2024 campaign, he said Russia could do "whatever the hell they want" to alliance members that failed to meet defense spending expectations.
This year, he threatened to take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark, and later described NATO as a "paper tiger" after European allies declined to participate in his war against Iran.
Former NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg was asked by The Atlantic earlier this year whether he was confident Trump would defend the Baltic states against a Russian attack.
"We base our security on that," Stoltenberg responded."
original paywalled article
www.theatlantic.com
video version from EnforcerNews
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Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Shine on you crazy diamond
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky
Shine on you crazy diamond
You were caught in the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze
Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon
Shine on you crazy diamond
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light
Shine on you crazy diamond
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision, rode on the steel breeze
Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
(During the final mixing sessions of this song in June of 1975, Syd Barrett came into the studios. He wasn't recognized at first, but then the band let him stay for a while.
Richard Wright recalled, "He just"for some incredible reason"picked the very day that we were doing a song which was about him.")