[Noneofya]

> Everyone in the community, us kids included, considered this to be serious and vital work for defending the US from the USSR

Yes, because the US had one of the most effective propaganda machines of all times.

You know, participants of a war always believe their side is right and they’re fighting the good fight. Otherwise they wouldn’t do it. And while you’re certainly right that Putin shouldn’t be considered harmless, a victim or even an opponent with equally valid interests, it’s still naive to think the US is just defending against the Putins in the world.

[taylodl]

I look at this the same way when people claim Democrats and Republicans are equally bad. They're not. Not even close. Republicans are far, far, far worse. Does that mean Democrats are perfect? Nope, they're not. Does that mean every single Republican is bad? Nope, some are truly great people. Seriously.

That's how I see the United States and the old USSR, modern Russia and to a lesser extent, China (I tend to view China much more favorably than Russia). Does that mean the U.S. is perfect? Nope, we're not. Sometimes we're wrong and disastrously so. Does that mean every Russian is bad? Nope, I've worked alongside many awesome Russians over the decades. Some were even in the Russian Army at the same time I was in the Marine Corps and we've laughed that here we are now in a bar having a beer together whereas a few years before we would have been on a battlefield trying to kill one another.

In that regard I see Putin and Trump very similarly. Putin has reminded us that Russia hasn't advanced as much as we'd thought, and Trump showed us that our lesser selves were always there under the surface brewing and waiting for a monster such as him to release our demons and let them run amok. They're old-school people from whom the reigns of power should be taken away.