Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) In 2017 as Trump was settling in, Democrats went on and on about Muh Russia. That turned a lot of people off. Since 1/6 I've been a proud #ExMAGA conservative. But even when I was part of the MAGA mvt, I still said Putin was no teddy bear.

reuters.com/world/uk/uks-r…

(2) The MAGA talking points against the idea that Trump colluded with Russia to win in 2016 make a lot of sense. So I suggest it's more fruitful to put that debate to one side & focus on the bigger picture: What Putin has been doing in recent years against all of our countries.

(3) This latest incident in Belarus is terrible.

Imagine if a Hong Kong freedom fighter was flying on a scheduled commercial flight from say Indonesia to South Korea, that took him over Chinese airspace for a few minutes...

reuters.com/article/us-bel…

(4) Then, 2 mins before leaving Chinese airspace the captain is told there's a bomb threat and she must land in China immediately.

She has no choice in the matter and has to divert the plane. As any civilian airline pilot would have to.

On arrival, a passenger is arrested.

(5) That is not how law enforcement is meant to work. But it is the kind of thing that happened throughout the Eastern Bloc and the so-called Non Aligned Movement during the Cold War.

Putin should have been stopped by now. But it's never too late to try.

(6) Sanctions aren't going to cut it anymore. Granted, they are necessary, but not sufficient.

I've studied and followed foreign affairs for decades, including at college. I go further into a subject than talking points or soundbites. IMO our worst enemies right now are:

(7) China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and to a lesser extent, Germany. I'm also not very partial to France, Qatar, or the Republic of Ireland.

IDK if China and Russia are an equal-sized threat to us but they both warrant constant scrutiny and that isn't consistently done.

(8) Broadly speaking, Democrats and their media allies tend to hold Russia to account more than they do China.

Broadly speaking, MAGA Rs and their media allies tend to hold China to account more than they do Russia.

I'm in a group that sees both as the enemies they are.

(9) My country, New Zealand, proudly fought along side the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and several others against our common enemies in both world wars.

Our alliance still stands today, despite skirmishes led by people who don't see the bigger picture.

(10) We need the USA and the UK, and those two countries need each other, too.

Putin and Xi may appear to use different tactics in their opposition to us, but they're both lawless, devious, and willing to play the long game. In part, it is paying off.

(11) We (all) made such a mess of trying to prevent WWII that we had no choice but to ally with the Soviet Union and China. Consequently, they each have veto powers at the UN Security Council, along with the US, UK, and France. To the victors, the spoils. As it should be.

(12) Something our enemies always seem to have in common is a hatred for the USA and the UK, and a desire to neutralize these countries as opponents in ongoing inevitable trade, cold, and hot wars.

OF COURSE there is always espionage going on. Always has been.

(13) Democrats have been very successful in uncovering Russian espionage in our countries & demanding action.

Republicans have been very successful in uncovering Chinese espionage in our countries & demanding action.

Both sides seem not to believe the other on this issue.

(14) To the question of whether Russia or China is a dire threat to our national security I always say: Why not both?

(15) A final note about Qatar, that many might have missed or forgotten about.

Three years ago their fighter jets intercepted two scheduled commercial passenger aircraft, to frighten them. The interceptions could easily have led to disaster.

reuters.com/article/us-gul…

(16) I wrote a thread about it & still agree with most of what I said. I decided months ago to leave all my pro-MAGA content up on Twitter rather than shrink from it (it's also near-impossible to selectively delete so many tweets.) I'm always happy to answer (civil) questions.

(17) Here's the thread. I still take a dim view of the Qatari regime.

That incident, and this week's appalling crime by the regime in Belarus, are a direct threat to the safety of everyone, and a line that must not be crossed.

https://twitter.com/FreedomFriesInc/status/953021424989425664

(18) They affect the "norms" of international affairs. Unfortunately, that term has become meaningless to anyone who witnessed the over-use of it during the Trump era.

How about we call it a rule-based world instead? There are rules, and we must enforce them.

(19) I'm an equal opportunity critic of rule-breakers.

Foreign governments meddling with civil aviation is a terrible thing. If our countries do not sufficiently retaliate and enforce the rules every time, then it's our fault it was allowed to continue.