Kansas City Playlist: World Changes Once Vlad Drops Nuke

Tonight we ponder a truly scary concern over which NO ONE has any control.

COVID reintroduced scarcity dramatic change back into the lives of Americans. As things worsen in Eastern Europe . . . It seems far more likely that another historic evolution is on the horizon. 

Translation . . . 

Neither local nor national news like to talk about it . . . But the world is basically waiting to see if Vlad will drop his nuke in order to make his point in Ukraine. 

If/when the war goes nuclear . . . Everything changes.

For instance . . .

The U.S. will no longer have the monopoly on unleashing the power of the Sun on its enemies. There will be another member of the club. 

As for the American response . . . Who knows??? Listening to keyboard generals is fun but also a waste of time. 

What we know for sure is that if/when it happens . . . Which seems more likely than ever . . . We can forget pretty much everything we've ever known about the American way of life and Democracy. 

Sure . . . Cynics often brazenly doubt the idea of liberty . . . But coffee shop conversations and social media debate is one thing . . . The "discourse" whilst waiting for food aid from military trucks is quite another. 

We'll talk more about this later but one of the most disappointing facets of this conversation has been the emergence of "pro-war progressives" who believe that the consequences of Ukraine "solidarity" are limited to Twitter. 

As the Russkies order evacuations and the Eastern Euro-trash war escalates . . . The stakes seem at lot more complex than getting cancelled and having to use another garbage app like Parler or Truth Social. 

And so we wait and consider a few news items on the topic . . .

Russia's nuclear arsenal is huge, but will Putin use it?

For decades, the threat of nuclear armageddon has kept Russia and the West out of a direct confrontation. The prospect of global nuclear war has been a line that neither side is willing to cross. But now, analysts who study Russia's nuclear strategy say they are increasingly worried that this stark nuclear line is becoming blurred.

Old fears of nuclear threat in central Europe revived by Russian rhetoric

Two stories beneath a modern steel production plant on Warsaw's northern edge lies an untouched Cold War relic: a shelter containing gas masks, stretchers, first aid kits and other items meant to help civil defence leaders survive and guide rescue operations in case of nuclear attack or other disasters.

Interview: Why Putin Might Prefer A Stalemate To Going Nuclear On Ukraine

Graham Allison is a Harvard professor and former U.S. defense official with expertise in nuclear weapons, Russia, China, and security planning. His 1971 book on the Cuban Missile Crisis is considered a seminal work. In the 1990s, as an assistant secretary of defense, Allison, 82, worked to coordinate U.S.

Rhetoric in Ukraine has reinforced the fallacy of limited nuclear exchange

Since the end of the Cold War, Russia, the United States, France, and China have continued to possess and develop nuclear weapons below the strategic level of land-based and submarine-launched intercontinental-range ballistic missiles.

Reality check . . . 

The truth is that in Kansas City we also MIGHT have to worry about worsening homicides and the threat of sex dungeons along with nuclear Armageddon. 

ALL OF THAT is a lot to think about . . .

And so we share tonight's TKC playlist on the topic of nukes and night lights.

The 80s always provides the best place to start . . .

Sadly, this song and activist video before the last American crusade also seems to apply . . .Sad postscript, global activism for peace didn't stop the longest war in recent history . . .

A campy tune about prepping for end days . . .

Yo La Tegno is one of the best jazz fusion bands in the nation and this anti-war song is one of their most popular whilst the clip features stock footage of American war gear . . .

Here's a dated classic about nuclear proliferation that still rings true and provides a great way to finish tonight's list . . .

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun late night . . .