The Little Orange Rooster
“Not I,” said the NATO nations who forgot 102,839 Americans died protecting freedom since World War II.
I should call today’s newsletter Sophie’s Choice. She’s a reader who in yesterday’s comments likened our situation with NATO to that of the Little Red Hen.
You remember the story. The hen gets a wheat seed and asks her barnyard buddies, “Who will help me plant the seed?”
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the horse.
She said, “Then I shall plant it by myself.”
Months later she asked, “Who will help me cut the wheat?”
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the horse.
She said, “Then I will cut the wheat by myself.”
The same thing happened when she asked, “Who will help me take the wheat to the mill?” and again when she asked, “Who will help me bake the bread?”
Ah, but when it came time to eat the bread, each one volunteered to help. The Little Red Hen told them, “No. You didn’t help plant the seed. You did not help harvest the wheat. You did not help take the wheat to the mill and lug home the flour. You did not help me bake the bread. Then I will eat the bread myself.”
The other animals shrugged their shoulders, went to the store, took out their EBT cards, and ate lobster and steak.
I may have taken some liberties with the story for purposes of brevity and levity.
Which brings up America’s Little Orange Rooster.
President Trump asked our NATO allies if they backed the USA’s arrest of Maduro.
Not I, said Spain.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called it “an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence.”
The Little Orange Rooster asked who will let me use Diego Garcia to bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran?
Not I, said Keir Starmer.
Finally, the Little Orange Rooster asked who will help me protect the Strait of Hormuz?
Not I, said the Germans.
Not I, said the Britons.
Not I, said the French.
Not I, said the Spanish.
Not I, said the Italians.
Each said it wasn’t a NATO mission, but that has not stopped NATO nations from supporting Ukraine. Each nay-saying nation wants and needs that oil from the Strait of Hormuz, as do Red China, Japan, or South Korea. Those three countries have yet to commit to protecting the passageway that supplies them with oil.
An exchange on Twitter between Obama’s Russian ambassador and the pilot who once carried the nuclear football for Clinton best explained the situation:
Michael McFaul: “The United States has the greatest navy in the world. Not really sure why Trump is begging for help to execute his war in the Strait of Hormuz. Can someone explain this to me?”
Buzz Patterson: “Sure, here ya go. The U.S. doesn’t get oil from Iran, the rest of the world does. If they want oil, they’ll help. If they don’t, then, oh well.”
The USA already sent most of Iran’s navy to Davy Jones’ locker. That should make the job easier for Britain if it sends a ship or two.
AJ “Allan” Inapi, a MAGA and Trump supporter, had a good handle on why the USA has a new attitude on NATO.
You’re over there in the U.S. I’m here in Papua New Guinea.
Let’s say you decide to protect my neighborhood. You spend the money. You build the security system. You hire the guards. You patrol the streets. In fact, you’re paying about 80% of the cost to keep my neighborhood safe.
Years go by. Then one day trouble breaks out just down the road—in Australia, south of where I’m sitting. You come to me and say: “Hey, we need your help.”
And I respond with: “Sorry. That’s not really my problem.”
You’d be furious.
Inapi then reminded Americans of their sacrifices made defending the world in wars since World War 2. As confirmed by Grok, those sacrifices include:
Korean War: 36,574 Americans died. Vietnam War (inherited from France): 58,220 Americans died. Panama: 23 Americans died. Persian Gulf: 148 Americans died. Iraq War: 4,492 Americans died. Afghanistan War: 2,350 Americans died.
That’s 102,839 American sacrifices—not counting the wounded or soldiers who died in Bosnia and other conflicts as we defeated ISIS and other threats to the civilized world.
Inapi said America spent $20 trillion defending the world. Grok puts it at half that number.
America is the adult in NATO who actually sacrifices to defend the free world. I asked Grok how much the War Department has spent on research and development in the past decade. The answer stunned me.
$1 trillion.
That is 7 to 10 times what the other 27 NATO nations spend on R&D. They prefer to buy our aircraft that use outdated technology.
R&D takes time. The B-21 Raider will begin replacing the B-2 Spirit in 2027. The B-21 costs less, does a better job and is easier to maintain than the B-2.
Research on the B-21 began 15 years ago. Test flights begin later this year. The military looks at the Big Picture with the Long View. Don’t ever let our allies have those B-2s when we mothball them because alliances change overnight.
As for the B-2, research began in 1979. The first operational B-2, called the Spirit of Missouri, arrived at Whiteman AFB 14 years later on December 17, 1993.
R&D is why we were able to arrest and extract Maduro from Venezuela without the loss of one American because the equipment we used this year was largely not invented when we extracted Noriega from Panama in 1989. It took weeks and cost 23 Americans their lives.
Capitalism rocks. Since he left, Panama’s poverty rate was cut in half as its economy grew seven-fold. Its economy went from being in the bottom half of Latin American countries in 1989 to fourth place.
R&D also spares civilian lives. Consider the Israeli Air Force has been striking Basij soldiers and its checkpoints across Teheran.
Not only was the bomb precise but it limited collateral damage. Cars and trucks just drove by the target with little or no damage.
Yes, Inapi’s number was off on the dollar amounts spent defending the world. But he was spot on for asking, “How did the world get so comfortable letting one country carry the bill?”
My answer is the rest of the NATO countries believe they still have EBT cards.
Seems NATO has left us. I can live with that.
Trump is asking for help because he knows that mine countermeasures is a weakness of our navy. All our conventional minesweepers/minehunters are well over 30 years old, in bad shape, and being decommissioned. The four we have kept for a decade in the Persian Gulf were decommissioned and sent home last month. The last 4 active ones are based in Japan. We are replacing them with LCS using the mine countermeasures "package,", which uses helicopter sweepers and drone boat mine hunting systems, but it is untested in actual operation and there are currently only three or four operational packages. We had three LCS in the Gulf, with the package, but apparently they have been sent to locations of safety until needed. The European countries have numerous minehunters/sweepers, which is why Trump is requesting assistance. (Retired navy captain/co of ocean minehunter.)