In a WSJ article entitled ‘Russia suggests Military Deployment to Venezuela, Cuba if tensions with US remain high’ and dated 1/13/22, a Russian deputy foreign minister said that since talks with America and its European allies over the Ukrainian situation have stalled, Russia could dispatch ‘military infrastructure to Venezuela and Cuba’ so as to pressure Washington to comply with Russia’s requests.
How interesting.
Putin invents a threat to Russia, sends troops to harass the Ukraine and because the US and Europe have not fallen to their knees, now he wants to instruct Venezuela and Cuba to help him out.
I am sure Putin didn’t consult with Diaz Canel and Maduro, the respective dictators in Cuba and Venezuela. What for? They owe me.
Putin wants NATO to restrict military deployments in territories bordering Russia and now protected by the US – European alliance. The alliance, however, has been put together to deter aggression from Russia. Instead, it has been Putin’s initiative to amass troops on Ukraine’s eastern border. It was Putin who annexed Crimea in 2014.
Putin must be having trouble at home that he’s been busy targeting dissident organizations in his country, labelling them terrorists, persecuting and imprisoning activists, instead of increasing freedom and allowing fair elections.
So he invents that the threat to Russia comes from the outside. Plus he gets his name in the papers and the internet and his dreams of eternal glory are revived.
Russia has a problem, yes, and it’s Putin. Like Cuba has a problem and Venezuela has a problem and it’s their leaders and those who choose to support them.
What Putin didn’t expect, was that America and its European allies would come together as one to present a united front.
What Putin didn’t expect, was that the West would not give in to his threats.
The Western alliance has held together because the threat to Ukraine is a threat to all of them.
And yes, the combined military capacity of the alliance is greater than Russia’s.
And the Biden administration has stated that no decision would be made without Ukraine being at the table. So, good for Biden and his excellent team, and good for our European allies. There are differences between us but there is clarity when it comes to identifying an external aggressor.
Venezuela and Cuba could do their part too by trying to show a little courage. They could ask Putin, ‘how come we don’t have to be asked to support you? You just assume we’ll do whatever you want?’
This is a great time for Russians to protest peacefully, to stand up to their dictator and tell him, ‘you are toxic to our nation. You are willing to sacrifice our soldiers for your dreams of grandeur. It is time that you go.’
Are you taking notes Xi Jinping? Pay attention. The West can unite. You will not divide us.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. also in anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzsprout.
We are being pressured and challenged by Russia on one side, by China on the other.
They are both betting that we can’t pull together.
They are both convinced we’re in decline, that we have forgotten to compromise, that animosities will keep us apart and we won’t be able to build bridges.
We have scientists. We have builders. We have artists. We have technology. We have drive. We have natural resources. We have good people.
And yet, we have fallen on hard times because we have stopped talking. And when that happens then the hope for compromise fades.
The majority of the nation agrees that democracy is worth defending and affirming.
And at the heart of democracy lies the need to give and take. So, yes, the pace of change is slower when we compromise but the prize is freedom. Justice. Equality of opportunity.
Extremes are toxic. We have to avoid them.
The next time you come across someone with a different viewpoint, do not shirk from expressing your own. Fear not their anger. Express your view.
And if you find the opposing view absurd or outlandish remind yourself that most issues are complex, and that varying circumstances have shaped our views, and that it is absolutely essential that, regardless of how irritated we may be with the opposing view, we must retain our calm and composure and so avoid that our anger leads us to judging the person.
Let us keep our minds open.
China and Russia both have powers that can harm us. They are both dictatorships that severely restrict freedom of speech. If a person living there challenges the system they end up in jail or eliminated.
Their leaders fear freedom of speech for it can spread to others and endanger their hold on power. Xi Jinping has been president since 2013 and has arranged to change the rules so he can stay in command. He even arranged for their legislative body to designate him ‘Historical Figure,’ like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping before him.
And so with Putin, who’s been in control of Russia since 1999 and has intimidated his nation to extend his term til 2036.
There are reasons why we have term limits for President in America. It prevents corruption. It allows for other views to emerge and be considered.
Today, Russia is threatening to invade the Ukraine. Is Ukraine a threat to Russia? No. But Putin fears that if Ukraine veers toward freedom, then other countries under his thumb will also try to better themselves.
China has squashed democracy in Hong Kong. They can’t stand the fact that Taiwan, after much struggle, has become a free nation. So they aim to invade it and bring it under their control.
We, in America, have freedom. Talking to each other, making the effort, is essential to keeping it. Anyone who refuses to reach out to others is toxic to our system.
Freedom is based on dialogue, compromise and bridge building. And all of us, every one of us, needs to do their part to preserve it.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net. also on anchor.fm, apple, google podcasts and buzzsprout
Tesla is flying high in China. It produced about 930 thousand models in 2021 with at least half made in Shanghai.
Now it decided to open a showroom in Urumqi, in Xinjiang province, where Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims are being forced to assimilate by Chinese authorities in what has been described as an act of genocide. Chinese authorities dismiss all responsibility.
Tesla has a problem though it chooses to dismiss it.
The problem is that it doesn’t give a damn about the forced assimilation going on in Xinjiang.
The problem is that, by its actions, it says to the public, ‘so long as we make money, we don’t care. We will certainly not upset the Chinese authorities because then our bottom line will be much affected. So there. We believe in freedom, absolutely, the freedom to make a buck wherever there’s a buck to me made. And as far as the present American administration, get off it, stop being so puritanical, let people make money, that’s the heart of the matter, don’t interfere with that or any of us in the company will not support you in the next election.’
Oh, the all mighty dollar, how its shiny light blinds the morals of some folks.
Here’s a smart, effective businessman, failing to see the big picture. Dismissing the humanitarian concerns of so many as mere pieties. An intelligent man blinded by his fast accumulating billions.
But it won’t do.
The world cannot give a free pass to China in its continuous human rights abuses.
China’s bellicosity is growing by the day, and to further its progress needs the assistance of western companies, banks and industrial concerns, willing to say ‘Yes! We want the money!’ as they bow to the angry and demanding dragon.
And in exchange, the mighty Chinese will treat them well, maybe grant them special rights in Taiwan once they invade the island, or wherever else they to choose to expand.
The Chinese government’s abuse of people in their own land is a precursor of things to come. Let it happen now and before you know it they will come for you, too.
The history of the world has taught us that lesson again and again but still we don’t get it.
We humans are fond of doing the ostrich number and burying our head in the sand.
Mr Musk, as leader of Tesla and Space X, has made important contributions to the world and to our nation. We thank him for them.
But maybe it is time he stepped aside.
Moral blindness is a detriment to leadership. And eventually to profits.
Take a break, Mr Musk. Broaden your views. You might surprise us all with your new insights.
Good luck.
PS – By the way, now and then, when you exult in your greatness, take a moment to mention the thousands of engineers working for you that make it all possible. They deserve it.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. also available in anchor.fm, apple, google podcasts and buzzsprout.
Putin is outside with his dog, standing on a little hill by the lake.
Putin – Why do I do it? For the pleasure of it. The pleasure of seeing the dominant nation in the world being tossed about by our actions. The pleasure of seeing them go at each other…. doubting, hating, reviling each other.
(He laughs)
The supposedly dominant nation in the world… electing whom they elected… hating immigrants when they are a nation of immigrants… questioning their values… what is there not to like about that?
(He smiles, picks up a stone and throws it far off and into the lake. His dog gives a start but Putin calms him down)
The more confusion I stir in that land, the weaker their resolve to block any move I make to extend my influence or my territory. I, on this side, Xi Jinping on the other, both enlarging our spheres of influence… squeezing the Americans. And the more divided they are, the more China will continue to insert itself in Latin America… right in their backyard… and in Africa, too. Meanwhile, I strengthen my support for Far Right movements in Italy, Hungary, Poland, even Germany. Let the Americans bicker with the Europeans… the more distracted the better.
(He laughs)
I have time. Oh, the virtues of autocracy. One nation, one man.
(He pets his dog)
Do I need to do it? Out of a sense of self preservation? Yes. But there’s also the satisfaction of having control over the lives of other men and women. Men and women who live under the delusion that they are free.
(He kneels down to speak to his dog)
Right?
(The dog licks Putin’s hand)
Because he made money in his hotels he thinks he can be a leader… ha!
(The dog makes an affectionate sound. Putin stands again)
But we’ll see… for sure, once I get his tax returns. Still, there’s that virus that could spread here… or anywhere… the virus of wanting an open dialogue… the virus of freedom… freedom to criticize… to question authority… to make money… to be all you can be… to dare climb the ladder… but no, I will not have that here in Russia. But I’m not really worried. After all, we’re the land of the Czars… of Stalin… of institutionalized cruelty… the mass killing of dissidents… Russians killing Russians… by the millions… we have a long way to go to heal those wounds… if ever… America has never experienced such abuse as Russians endured… except for Black Americans… but nothing… nothing like we have.
(He turns to his dog)
Our cyberwarriors will take care of things, won’t they, Washington? So we can even out the playing field.
(The dog makes a wimpy sound)
I need to get you something to eat.
(The two start walking down the little hill towards the dacha. In the distance, guards in black garb are posted at various locations)
Chapter 13
A very dark, rectangular room, barely lit, and Trump sitting at one end.
The same shadowy figure with no discernible features, a black suit and a hood over his head, appears at the other end. As before, at the wave of the Man’s hand a chair materializes and he sits facing Trump.
Trump – You again?
(The Man nods slowly)
Man – You’re running out of time. The mid terms are coming up… and the democrats are gaining… so unless Mueller clears you… they will likely move to impeach you.
Trump – On what grounds?
Man – Mueller is scaring some folks.
Trump – Their word against mine. Can you be more specific?
Man – Cannot. But you’re the big fish…
Trump – And a good incentive for someone to flip. But I know that. I’m not worried, though. We’ll keep the House and the Senate, I’m sure about that.
The Man leans forward, arms on his legs.
Trump – Say, how come I can’t see your face?
Man – I don’t have one.
(Trump squirms)
Man – What mistake did you make?
Trump – Mistake?
(Trump looks down at the ground, searchingly)
Man – If you know, you may still have a chance.
(A moment passes. Trump looks up at the Man, still unable to come up with an answer)
Man – Don’t know?
Trump – Melania… she’s talked about the need for dialogue…
(The Man nods slowly)
Trump – … building bridges…
(The Man nods again)
Trump – Finding my higher… self…
Man – And?
Trump – I don’t think it’s in me.
Man – I see.
Trump – What do you see?
Man – Really want my opinion?
Trump – I don’t know… I suppose…
Man – There may not be enough time but here it goes…
Trump sits back, bracing himself, wary of the Man’s answer.
Man – You played the one note… and that’s all.
Trump – The one note?
Man – Same note, again and again… you got lucky that the one note attracted a lot of customers at the start… but you got stuck on it… and here you are, well into your second year and you’re still on the same note.
Trump (puzzled) – One note?
Man – You need more than one note to find your depth as a leader.
(Trump hangs his head for a moment)
Trump (anxiously, quickly) – One note… two notes… three notes… what difference does it make? I keep my promises.
Man (calmly) – The thing is, leading is about much more than that.
Trump – More than keeping your promises?
(The Man slowly reaches forward with his long right arm, and keeping it extended then turns the palm of his hand upwards. Trump draws back)
Man – Touch the soul…
(Trump is tempted to reach out and touch the Man’s hand but is afraid of it)
Trump – Touch the soul? The soul? Ha! Look, I’ve made a lot of decisions in my year and a half…
Man – But have you led?
Trump is disconcerted.
Trump (timidly) – No?
(The Man shakes his head very slowly)
Trump (rousing himself) – What about the stock market, it’s going up and up, and the GDP, the tax cut, the low unemployment… I’m giving people what they want… money…money! Isn’t that what we’re all about, the rest just empty pieties?
(Trump lets out a loud laugh but the Man doesn’t stir, all the while keeping his arm extended, the palm facing up. A somber expression then settles on Trump… fearful that he’s missing out on something but unable to overcome his fear)
Trump (not giving up, rousing himself again) – Remember Liza and Joel in Cabaret… the movie? Money Money Money! Makes the world go round!
The Man lowers his head and pulls back his arm.
Trump – What’s the matter with you, you don’t watch the movies… you too good for them?
(Trump stands up abruptly and is surprised he’s able to do it)
Trump (looking at his wrists) – Hunh…. I thought I’d be held back… like the first time… how come I can move now?
(The Man stands up)
(Trump takes a few determined steps toward the Man but then stops. They look at each other in silence)
Trump (softly, tentatively) – You think I have it in me?
(The Man pauses, then turns and starts to walk away)
Trump – Hey, wait a minute. I asked you a question!
(Trump lunges for the Man but the figure disappears and Trump ends up falling to the ground. Slowly, he sits up and looks around at the dark and empty room. The Man’s chair is still there. Trump gets up and approaches it carefully. He sits on it. Now he hears the disembodied voice of the Man)
Man (voice over) – One note.
(Trump covers his ears, frightened. All is still. He lowers his hands slowly, then, seized by a fit of rage, jumps to his feet)
Trump (shouting full blast) – God dammit! I said goddammit! Do you hear me? God dammit! The hell with everybody! God dammit! Yes, you, god… damn you!
Man (voice over) – One note.
(Trump drops to his knees, head bowed, and starts to cry softly,
A moment passes, then he begins to raise his head… as tears stream down his face… and while extending his arms upwards…)
Trump (pleadingly, anguished) – Can’t I have depth? Can’t I? Please God… give me depth!
White House – Bedroom – 2 AM
(Trump wakes up with a startle. Melania is asleep at his side. He rubs his face, then gets up and crosses to the window. He opens the drapes and pulls up a chair. He sits and looks out into the night.
Melania awakens. She looks at him)
Melania – What happened?
(He shrugs)
Melania – Another dream?
(He nods)
Melania – Want to talk about it?
(He says nothing. She rises and goes to his side, stands beside him and begins to rub his shoulders)
Trump – I have to make some decisions.
(She kisses the crown of his head)
Melania – Just know that I love you.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net. also on anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzsprout.
There are so many countries in our planet, where the very few govern the many. So many countries, even advanced ones, where the very few have found a way to impose their will on the many.
In those instances, something has happened in the many that they were willing to surrender their will.
Hierarchies, natural ones, are needed so things can run better and more is accomplished. They are needed for efficiency.
Knowledge, know how, wealth, power establish hierarchies.
Take a company, for instance. The founder has developed expertise in an area or has invented a product that they have taken to market. When we choose to join that effort we are assigned a place within the hierarchy and we are paid for our work.
It makes sense that the founder get the most of the profits. Without their expertise or product, the company would not have existed. But it is essential that the worker be treated fairly.
If this can be done without unions, so much the better, since unions bring their own hierarchies and bureaucracy. But the fact that unions exist is evidence that often the company’s hierarchies do not deal squarely with the workers.
One of the problems of any hierarchy, be it in business or government, is a gradual tendency for those on top to overrate their own capacity while devaluing that of those beneath them. The more distance between those at the top and those in the lower ranks, the more likely the devaluing.
It happens everywhere. The task is to find ways to prevent it.
One way is to keep an open conversation.
This allows people at any level in the hierarchy to remind others of the role they play within the organization.
When there is a real conversation between those at the top and those beneath them, there is less of a chance of devaluing everyone’s contribution. Even down to the janitorial staff that, working the night shift, ensure that those coming in the morning will find a clean office.
When the conversation between top and bottom is genuine, then there is a sense that everyone’s contribution is acknowledged. And the lesser the likelihood of devaluing to occur.
Open conversation creates the opportunities for people to improve their skills and so aspire to move up the organization as jobs become available.
There is a similarity between the organization of business and the organization of governments.
In totalitarian or autocratic governments, the conversation between the top and the lower ranks is limited or non existent. Conversation understood as a two way exchange, where contrary views can be aired. Conversation understood as free speech.
Today in our world, in some powerful countries, there is none or little conversation between the upper and lower ranks. That is a problem because it shrinks the human spirit.
Those at the top do not want to listen to those at the bottom. The ruling elite has found a way to block the conversation and prefers to punish those who wish to start one.
The ruling elite wants to prevent challenges to its privileges.
But something happens to those who are consistently devalued and not allowed their views to be heard. Something that should have been developed is not. And the longer the suppression of those voices the greater the existential poverty that follows.
Today, China and Russia – Cuba and Venezuela in the Americas – are examples of such damage.
The opportunity to express one’s ideas is essential to the spiritual health of the individual and thus of the nation. It enhances creative possibilities. Not having it is a clear sign of oppression.
Chinese and Russian citizens may find comfort in the economic and military might of their respective countries but without freedom, human beings slowly degrade and contract. They become less than they could otherwise.
Chinese or Russian citizens may be entranced by their leaders but if freedom of speech is not available, they forsake the chance of achieving full development as human beings.
Here in the United States we are going through a difficult period, with opposing sides hardening and little effective effort made to establish a conversation between the two.
Bridges must be built.
Or the poorer our existences will be.
For those interested, Freedom House does an excellent job of mapping the distribution of democracies around the world.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. Available as a podcast in anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts, buzzsprout.
No to Putin inventing the idea that the West wants to invade Russia.
No to Putin’s willingness to sacrifice Russian lives in the conquest of the Ukraine.
Ukrainians will not be intimidated by Putin.
They will fight for the right of their country to choose their path forward
Like Russians themselves should do.
Russians should say ‘thank you’ to Ukrainians for their courage to defy Putin.
This is also the time for Alexei Navalny, still in prison on Putin’s orders, to speak out on the importance of respecting Ukrainians’ wishes. No matter what bonds they may have with the Russian people, Ukrainians have made it clear they are willing to embark on a new path.
Let them be. Respect their choice.
This is the time to say
No to Putin’s blocking free elections in Russia.
No to his barring freedom of speech.
No to Putin’s wanting to stay in charge until 2036.
This is the time for a young leader, man or woman, to emerge in Russia, a fresh voice speaking on behalf of the future of their land, to say loudly that the country needs to step out of its isolation, that the country needs to open up to the world and be part of it, that Russia wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with other cultural, technological and industrial leaders of the world, confident as they should be that they have the brains and competence to do well.
Just imagine for a moment a Russia that is not led by a paranoid and controlling Putin, just imagine a Russia that on opening its borders makes itself attractive to foreign investments, just imagine the increase in productivity and in the standard of living.
There is a yearning in the breast of Russian citizens to be part of a changing world.
Putin stands in the way and uses violence to repress that yearning.
The Russian spirit should not give in.
The Russian mind should not bow to a man consumed with dreams of personal power.
Do not enable him by conforming.
This is the time to say No.
And it can be said peacefully. Just keep saying it.
Again and again. Until he steps down and then the spirit of freedom will sweep into that great land.
Say No to Putin and Yes for Russia to be a part of our new and changing world.
Please join us. The rest of us are waiting for your contributions. We need you and your creativity.
Please step forward and join the forces fighting for progress and against repression.
This is the time.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net – anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzsprout.
A few days ago I came across this news item in an Associated Press release.
In Orange City, Fla, while in traffic, a woman driving her vehicle taps a man riding his motorcycle. By his own description there was no damage to him or his bike. But the woman didn’t stop and instead flees the scene.
The man and two witnesses chase her.
She drives to her home, the man and witnesses in tow. She goes inside her home, pulls out a gun and confronts the three men.
The man that had driven the motorbike quickly draws his concealed weapon and kills the woman on the spot.
Just like that. One less person in this world.
Don’t know anything about the woman except that she was in her mid thirties.
Don’t know anything about the man, either, other than his being dexterous with his weapon.
Afterwards he was quoted as saying that he was sorry, but that the woman had pointed a gun at him.
End of story? No.
What’s missing?
A call to the police.
The woman was likely frightened. Surely the motorcyclist and the two witnesses, in following, were able to get the tag of the vehicle. And they could have simply called the police, presented the details and see you in court.
But the right to have the gun on him – concealed – emboldened the motorcyclist. He could take the law into his own hands. With the gun at his side and being skilled at using it – having spent all those hours at the range practicing – he could do it.
What the man didn’t do was spend a few moments thinking of the frailty of human beings, including his.
What the man didn’t do was think of how easily some people can get scared, including himself.
And that the men and women in blue could have been there to mediate and avoid a tragedy.
The woman should have stopped immediately after tapping the man and his bike but she didn’t. Who knows why. And that simple mistake cost her her life.
The story is both scary and sad.
What is it that we are so desperate to defend by owning a concealed weapon?
Surely every person has an answer. But that woman’s mistake didn’t deserve her fate.
The shooter may wish to atone for what he did, for ignoring the complexities of the human being he killed and his own, and for not consulting with the police who could have interceded.
But it’s up to him and his conscience.
And while he debates the matter, I suggest he log on to Gunviolencearchive.org to refresh his ideas. To take a breath and meditate. If only for 5 minutes. That’s all.
In 2020 there were 19,411 willful, malicious or accidental deaths in the US – 39,492 gun related injuries – over 20 thousand suicides.
It’s Americans bleeding. We have to stop this.
Oscarvaldes.net also available in anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzsprout.
We keep having these pitched battles in and out of court over whether a woman has the right or not to have an abortion.
The embryo is contributed to in equal parts by woman and man, but it is women who have the bodies to carry the fetus to delivery, women who feed and nurture the infant and generally carry the greater burden of caring for a child, though the latter may be slowly changing.
Women, then, should have the greater say in when a pregnancy should proceed or be interrupted. Not men.
The fact that men have had such influence in the fate of a fetus is testimony to the imbalance of power between the sexes. In spite of much progress in equalizing that power, it is still clearly evident in our society.
I propose that there be a national referendum, where American women and only American women vote on when a pregnancy should be terminated.
Men would stay out of it.
Women have as much interest as men in producing the offspring needed to preserve the nation. To think otherwise is to devalue them and not see them as equal partners in the making of our country.
A national referendum on abortion for and by women alone, would likely legalize what is abundantly clear. Women play a greater role than men in the production of our heirs. And to them should belong the right to choose when to make such contribution.
A referendum for and by women to make that decision is no guarantee that they will choose to have the right to end a pregnancy. There are religious influences at work on many women urging them to forgo such right. But let women talk to women about that critical decision. Let them have the discussion at length. And let men, whether lay or clergy, stay out of it.
For one reason or another – as demonstrated in the fact that we have yet to elect a woman president – we still don’t trust women to make critical choices. And women may not trust other women, either.
A legally binding referendum for and by women alone, offers the option to reach a national consensus.
And it could be held once again in another five years.
American men need to step up, for the sake of their spouses, their daughters, their sons and themselves.
Women should demand it.
The time is now.
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net. also available in anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzsprout.
The Russian dictator must be having trouble at home because he decides to amass troops on the eastern border with the Ukraine and then claim he must do so because Russia is under threat by the West.
According to Putin, should Ukraine continue to lean toward the West his empire would be vulnerable to invasion.
But who would want to invade Russia? What for? Who wants to go there?
Instead, it is Putin who is a threat to other nations. He aids in the repression of democratic protests in Belarus, supports the Myanmar dictator’s savage repression of his people, joins with Assad to brutalize Syrians, aids the socialist government in Venezuela, which regime is responsible for the largest exodus of people in recent history, six million Venezuelans having sought refuge in neighboring countries with all the attendant pain of dislocation.
Russia may have 4000 nuclear warheads to scare the world, but it is a nation that inspires no one.
And now Putin wants to pressure the West into forbidding that NATO expand its reach to Ukraine and Georgia and demand that no western forces be stationed in Poland or the Baltic countries.
That Putin wants to rebuild the Soviet Union is clear. But those citizens in all those eastern countries formerly in the Soviet Union, have something to say about it. And they don’t want the Russian boot on their throats.
Putin’s dictatorship has held back Russia’s development. He makes every effort to choke the opposition and now has one of their leaders, Alexei Navalny, in prison.
Putin is clearly envious of the West and their ability to be productive, in spite of all our problems. He has been in power since 1999 but cannot get the Russian people to be more productive. This has nothing to do with Russians’ capacities. They are competent people, but for one reason or another, fell under the spell of a man who thinks only of how great he is.
Putin is also envious of China. He wishes he had come up with their way of attracting capital to get their economy moving. But he couldn’t do it. It wasn’t in him.
What is in him is his ability to scheme and invent crises, hoping to profit from them.
Now talks are under way to ease the tensions Putin has created with the threat to invade the Ukraine. But the West should not give in an inch.
Putin’s move gives, in effect, a great opportunity for president Biden to unify the Western alliance which had been frayed by Trump’s shortsighted diplomacy.
Russia’s government, not the people, is an enemy to the West. The Russian people are being diminished in their possibilities by an authoritarian regime that has made their nation less competitive in the world and caused them to fall far behind.
If Putin chooses to invade the Ukraine, then president Biden should follow through with his promise of aiding Ukrainians in defending their nation without sending in American troops.
It would make for a bloody war, for Ukrainians will fiercely resist having to bow to the Russian government.
Freedom has a price. A protracted war in the Ukraine would have the effect of strengthening the anti Putin movement in Russia, hastening his fall.
President Biden and the West must stand firm against Putin and his disregard for humanity, including that of his own people.
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net also available in anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzprout.
White House – Evening – South Lawn – Three weeks later.
Trump and Melania are walking alongside.
Melania – What was the point of insulting Lebron James, the basketball player?
Trump – It got away from me.
Melania – The man had just helped fund a school for underprivileged children.
Trump – Please stop.
Melania – It is so unbecoming of a President.
They walk in silence.
Melania – And then you keep having those rallies…
Trump – We need to win in November. Both houses. I love my rallies… stirring up their fury…love it… and with every rally I validate them.
Melania – Validate them?
Trump – Sure… that they’ve been treated unfairly, like I have. Clinton’s ‘deplorables’, how could you forget? And by extension, the witch hunt.
Melania – (stopping) By extension?
He stops too.
Melania – Are you linking Hillary and Mueller?
Trump – Put her in jail! they chant, again and again.
Melania – Russian talk about their having damaging emails on Hillary started the investigation… but Mueller’s probe is not about Hillary’s campaign, it’s about yours… and if you link them to stir up your base, then you’re guilty of manipulating their admiration for you and should be ashamed of yourself. Hillary is one thing, the probe quite another… which your own attorney general recused himself from overseeing… and you can’t stop badgering him for… which smells of a clear intent to cover up.
He looks at her, then lowers his head as he pinches the base of his nose.
Trump – (calmly but with an edge to his voice) It’s a witch hunt… a rigged witch hunt… and neither I nor anyone working on my instructions obstructed justice. That’s all you need to know.
Melania – No, it’s not. And you’re not brushing me off.
They stand glaring at each other.
Trump – So I’m guilty?
Melania – You’re acting like it.
Trump – (Irritated) Why don’t you go back to New York and leave me alone?
Melania – I’m staying right here. I am your wife and there’s something wrong with you. And I’m not about to abandon ship.
He shakes his head slowly.
Melania – And now you’ve started to have those bad dreams…
Trump – I’ve only had three or four…
Melania – How about seven or eight?
Trump – They’re not coming back, I know that.
Melania – You have no control over them.
Trump – Yes, I do.
Melania – What are the dreams about?
Trump – I can’t remember anything.
Melania – Then how the heck can you have control over them?
Trump – I just do.
Melania – Nonsense.
Trump – (angrily) You are not inside my mind! I do not remember my dreams, okay? I do not.
Melania – Then you can’t have control over them.
Trump – Yes, I can.
Melania – How?
Trump – Because after every rally, after I vent my frustrations, I go for at least two or three nights without any nightmares.
Melania – So you’ll need to keep having rally after rally, whipping your base into a rage… so you can sleep better at night… is that it?
Trump – I think they’ll fade.
Melania – You’ll beat down your dreams with the help of your adoring crowds.
Trump – Something like that.
They are quiet for a moment.
Melania – It is madness… pure madness.
Trump – You want me to see a psychiatrist, is that it?
Melania – Why not? You have nothing to lose. You seem unable to reflect on what’s happening even as it’s staring you in the face, even as you’re moving for a head on collision… so maybe… maybe… speaking to someone like that might help you save your presidency.
He just looks at her.
Melania – (gently) Dee… the party won’t do it for you. They’re probably already plotting against you.
Trump – I don’t doubt it, but they won’t get away with it.
She closes in and puts her hands on his shoulders.
Melania – There’s still time to find your higher self… I know it’s in you… reach for it, please… it’s in there. Beneath the hooting and hollering of your adoring crowds… lies a desire for clarity… a yearning for connection with themselves and their fellow human beings… you can lead them there… but you can’t do it if you haven’t found that place in yourself. Do you understand what I’m saying?
He nods uncertainly.
Melania – Doing that… is more important than your presidency.
Trump – (softly, incredulously) What?
Melania – You owe your base complete honesty… they brought you this far… it’s been an incredible ride… you never imagined it would be this rich… they made you president… but dark clouds have gathered over you and you have to answer with honesty… you owe them that… and what will be, will be. They have been disappointed by others that came before you… don’t join in with those… you have a unique chance to do the right thing… and that would be priceless. And no matter what… I’ll stand by you.
Look at me, do you believe me?
Trump – I don’t know… I’ve cheated on you so many times… disrespected you…
Melania – And still I love you… and believe in you.
She takes his hands in hers and kisses them as she looks up at him.
Melania – Dee… I’m here because of you… I’m not a hostage to this glamour.
Trump – Melania… I appreciate what you’re telling me but it’s going to be okay. I’m making money for my people, that’s what really counts.
Melania – No!
She pulls away brusquely and stalks off a few paces before she pivots to face him again.
Melania – You’re leading a nation, not a company! We need more than money, we need a sense that we care for each other… a sense that we share a truth… that we’re a community!
Because it’s not every man for himself, it can’t be… we can’t be the best we can without family… we can’t be the best we can without schools… we can’t be the best we can without the skills of others… we can’t be the best we can without talking and understanding each other… and you have been failing at that. Do you hear me?
He goes to her and embraces her. After a moment of quiet, they start to sway lightly in each other’s arms.
Melania – You have to find and harness the strength of the entire country, not simply the strength of a part of it.
They pull apart as they face each other and hold hands.
Trump – You don’t think I’m being treated unfairly?
Melania – I do not. The Mueller probe is an effort to preserve the nation. You need to respect that.
Trump – I didn’t collude… but maybe… Russia’s interference did throw the election my way.
She looks at him.
Trump – I have to allow for that possibility.
Melania – Did you obstruct justice?
Trump – I did not.
She closes her eyes for a moment.
Melania – If you could say that in public…
Trump – I’ve been saying that I didn’t collude…
Melania – No, the part about you now believing that Russian interference did influence the election in your favor… and that if not, maybe Hillary would’ve been elected.
Trump – What difference would that make?
Melania – A huge difference.
Trump – Even if it can’t be proved?
Melania – Even so. Just that statement would give the nation a sense that we prize fairness… and that you, as our leader, values it most of all… and it would remind us all of how egregious has been the action of another nation to violate our sovereignty, and how we must pull together to defend ourselves and our way of life… and to impose whatever sanctions are needed to put an immediate halt to that kind of interference.
Trump – But I would be putting my legitimacy in question…
Melania – Your legitimacy has been in question… but in the absence of proof you could not be removed from office, and you would have the rest of your term to strengthen us as a country.
Trump – It would raise the likelihood of impeachment…
Melania – Not if you have nothing to hide.
Trump – They could come up with fake evidence…
Melania – That’s your paranoia talking. You have to check that. In the end… if impeachment comes… you have to trust that your own sense of fairness will be repaid.
He shakes his head slowly.
Trump – I’m not as trusting as you are.
Melania – I’ll stand by you.
She takes him by the hand and they walk off toward the White House.
Oscarvaldes.net. also available in anchor.fm, apple and google podcasts and buzzsprout.
Oscar Valdes 