Putin – Oscar Valdes

What Happened to Russians?

What happened to all the literature they’ve written?
What happened to all the great music they’ve composed?
What happened to all the science they’ve produced?
Does it all take a back seat to the whims of a murderous man like Putin?
A man who, every morning, makes a choice as to the number of missiles he will shoot into Ukraine – never mind whether they strike soldiers or civilians – he just needs to fire them.
Russians, where are you hiding?
The killing of Ukrainians is being done in your name, so you should do something about it.
Any act of resistance counts.
Refusing to join the army is a worthy contribution. You may end up in prison but Putin is not going to last long.
These days, owing to Ukrainians’ daring and ingenuity, missiles are travelling in the other direction also, hitting targets inside Russia’s borders.
And no, Ukrainians will not sit down to discuss an end to the war until all their territories are returned.
Proud people that they are, they spelled it out to China the other day.
This war is not going to last forever. And it will end with a Ukrainian victory.
And a Russia steeped in shame.
But there’s still time for Russians to rise and reclaim their nation.
Still time for Russians to stand up and choose to embrace the value of liberty and freedom of choice, the right to dissent, to elect their leaders.
Russians, what has happened to you?
Where are you hiding?
Yes, fear is a powerful force, but so is love, so is courage, so is daring, so is decency, so is respect for other human beings.
We can’t let fear rule our lives.
Somehow it happened to you. You fell asleep, ignored your history of achievements and let a tyrant direct your lives, just like Xi Jinping is doing in China.
A life lived in fear is not a life lived. It’s a life forsaken.
Go look at yourself in the mirror, ask yourself, am I doing what I should do for myself, for my Russia, for the real Russia, the proud Russia, the Russia that has made enormous contributions to humanity?
If you don’t feel anger, then Putin has taken over your life.
If you don’t feel rage, then you’ve let Putin intimidate you and put into your mind that Ukrainians are demons, inferior human beings, and so must be eliminated.
If you don’t feel horrified then you have let that miserable, murderous human being called Putin, make cruel choices in your name.
And you let it happen.
It was you who didn’t think. You who didn’t remember your literature, you who didn’t hear the beauty in the music your own brothers and sisters have produced over the centuries. You who have failed.
Wake up! There’s still time. Do something about it!

For my regular posts see oscarvaldes.medium.com

Vladimir and Me

M – Do you take time to be alone?
V – Sometimes. I’m a very busy man, with lots of things to do.
M – It’s a good habit to get into.
V – What’s your point?
M – It centers us. Still, we can be alone and get so busy we’re not centered.
V – What do you mean by centering?
M – Feeling close to ourselves… to our mortality… our aging… our physical degradation… the inevitability of our death… which leads to us affirming our lives… acting as if we matter.
V – We have to be busy and constructive with our lives, so we will be remembered.
M – We don’t know if we will be remembered… or how… we have no such control.
V – With all the advances in data storage, of course we will be remembered.
M – Even if we were, we won’t feel a thing from being remembered…
V – That’s different.
M – How so?

Pause as Vladimir reflects.

V – We have to trust that we will. Stalin is remembered. Hitler will never be forgotten. Ever.
M – What have you learned from them?
V – Determination. Once you set your sights on something, you never relent. Only death should keep you from your objective.
M – Did they contribute to humanity’s development?
V – Stalin saved Russia from destruction. I am here because of him.
M – You don’t think Russia would have produced another leader, if it needed to, to defend itself against German aggression?
V – Maybe… or maybe not.
M – Hitler made a horrible mistake invading Russia… but judging from the pool of talent Russia has… Russia would have pushed the Germans back… with or without Stalin. You were fighting for your life.
Just like Ukrainians are.
V – Ukrainians are fighting a proxy war… they are tools of the West… who’s trying to conquer Russia.
M – People who are tools would not fight with the determination Ukrainians are showing.
V – I am trying to save Ukrainians from the depraved West. They have lost their way. God has abandoned them.
M – God is with you?
V – Yes.
M – A modern day Crusade you’ve embarked on…?
V – Yes. For the good of humanity.

Pause

M – I think you’re filled with envy… that it has overtaken your judgment… and because you don’t allow for other people to counter your views… you do not revise your opinions.
Has anyone ever told you that you’re an envious man?
V – They wouldn’t dare.
M – That’s the disadvantage of dictatorship. I have no doubt that if Stalin had had courageous people around him objecting to his killing his adversaries… Russia would’ve been better off.
V – Stalin would have killed them, too. It was not a time to be soft.
M – You meant not a time to be fair…
V – I meant what I said.
Why do you say I’m envious?
M – Because nations smaller than you, with fewer natural resources, have developed more than Russia.
V – But they don’t have our nuclear weapons.
M – That is your curse. You hide behind them. And you hide Russia behind them.
The war you started with Ukraine is only making it harder for Russians to join in with the rest of the world. Your people could be making important contributions to the advancement of humanity… instead you’ve set your sights on the destruction of a people fighting for their freedom.
It will be hard for Russians to deal with the guilt of having embraced you in the destruction of Ukraine… like it has been hard for Germans to deal with the guilt over the killing of Jews.
V – You say I’m filled with envy… how do you get rid of it?
M – You don’t. You learn to manage it.
V – How?
M – You say to yourself, ‘I am envious. I covet what others have.’ Then you add, ‘but they have worked for it, or they have abilities I don’t have… or I have not yet developed…’ and you accept their difference… and this acceptance of the other leads you to affirm your own difference… to affirm your own talents… your own gifts. And if you are honest in doing so… then you can welcome others as they are, even if they are better than you at one thing or another… and when you truly accept that such a person or nation functions better than you or your nation… you say to them ‘thank you for striving to be your best… for all of us will benefit from it. In turn, my people and I will strive to do the same.’

Vladimir nods pensively.

M – Notice that I didn’t say anything about killing anyone. Nothing about destroying what others have achieved. Or bombing or maiming them.
The journey to conquer envy is a task for every human being, whether educated or not, rich or poor. It is a journey to self acceptance that will help us in our struggle to contribute our best effort to humanity… while we have the energy and wisdom.
V – For me to not be envious would mean accepting that the way I’ve governed has been a big mistake.
M – Yes.
V – I don’t think I can do that.
M – Then you’re choosing to not start on the journey to managing your envy.
Do you prefer instead to keep ordering the killing of Ukrainians, day after day?
All those lives you’ve ended had contributions to make… all of them… but because you’re choosing to not confront yourself and select another path… those contributions will not be made.
Every life ended in this war is a life not fulfilled… a treasure not discovered…
V – I know it will not end well… this war. Sometimes, I think I’ve created an inferno… with me tossing people into it… every day. Sometimes I even think I hear their cries… their anguish as they burn… and I fear that someone will emerge from that cauldron… come for me… and drag me into it.

I Changed My Mind. Run, Biden

I am now in favor of Biden running for reelection in 2024.
Did he stumble going up the stairs to his plane recently? So what?
Does he stammer on occasion? So what?
Does he miss a beat sometimes? So what?
As I write this I hear Beethoven conducted by Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic orchestra
in the background and to mind comes poet Dylan Thomas’ exhortation to his father, ‘rage, rage against the dying of the light’.
That’s right, Joe Biden, rage, rage!
Take on the Republican adversary and give them a good fight.
You’re doing a good job so keep at it.
The war effort would not be where it is now were it not for your push.
Although I strongly believe you need to be bolder and confront Putin to stop firing missiles from behind his borders to kill Ukrainians and destroy their country.
Should you take this step the war will come to an end sooner. It could be the turning point. Please think about it carefully.
Advancing age does create problems for all of us but every one of us is different and there are men and women older than you making important contributions to humankind.
I’m reminded of a researcher in England whose name I don’t recall, who had celebrated her 100th year and still walked down the hill from where she lived on the way to her lab. Every day.
So ‘rage, rage against the dying of the light!’
You are clear in the perception that our nation stands now at a critical juncture in history.
The two largest totalitarian regimes in the world, deniers and abusers of man’s eternal quest for freedom of expression, have joined forces to trample on the West.
They must be stopped. Until such time as when their people will awaken.
Maybe we should drop millions of copies of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ from balloons overhead on China and Russia so they can start pulling out of their existential mud.
But while we wait for them to breathe the air of freedom and dare challenge their oppressors, here in America we have plenty of work to do to correct long held injustices.
We can do it.
Your leadership comes filled with hope and an openness to dialogue. That many Republicans are still under the spell of Trump and Trump alike figures is part of what our nation has to deal with.
But keep pushing hard to do what you think needs to be done. If you’re wrong, we’ll tell you.
And if you fall ill as you press on with your term and the next, well, then our medical teams will step in to restore you to full competency. And if your time is past, then Harris will kick in.
Meanwhile, go forth young man, young at heart, young in your mind, striving to fight off the bullies and dictators seeking to keep humanity on its knees.
Stay open to criticism. If you’re not well enough to continue doing your job then tell us. We need that honesty from you. But who knows when that will be?
Defy the odds, keep pushing, striving to do your best.
‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light!’
And ‘run, Biden, run!’

Russia Must be Confronted

The story of Ukraine’s valiant fight is a story of courage lost and courage regained.
And a war fought now is a war not fought later.
In 2014 Putin grabbed Crimea. In broad daylight. With everyone looking on, Putin said, ‘I want that land, so I’ll take it.’
And we let him get away with it.
But seeing Ukraine’s enormous effort over the past year has restored our courage.
From the start of the war we supported Ukraine and yet it’s taken a while to increase the number and sophistication of the arms provided.
As Ukraine fought, we gave more and more support.
It was their proud resistance that moved us to add more help.
That effort has helped unite the West in opposing Russia. And it has hardened our resolve for the inevitable confrontation with China.
The benefits to us have been enormous.
And yet, all the while, even as our assistance to Ukraine grew steadily, there was something we weren’t willing to do. We were not willing to say to Putin, ‘do not fire missiles onto Ukraine from the protection of your own territory.’
We never summoned the guts to say that and so stand up to Putin.
The missiles have kept raining over Ukraine and we still have not provided Ukraine with the weapons to respond to such assault for fear of escalating the war.
On their own, Ukraine has devised arms that have reached military bases inside of Russia. But they have not had access to the longer range missiles we could provide and which would be more lethal.
As a result Russia has enjoyed a great advantage and because of it have killed thousands of Ukrainians.
Yesterday, the prime ministers of France, England and Germany, put forth a plan to further arm Ukraine while encouraging it to prepare for peace talks.
But it’s a clear cop out. A clear appeasement of Putin.
The underlying sentiment in the proposal is the growing doubt that Ukraine can achieve a military victory and so it should seek a compromise.
But those appeasing countries are deaf to the plight of Ukraine. A gut wrenching plight that cries out, ‘confront Putin now!. Tell him to stop firing the missiles that are killing us and destroying our infrastructure. Do that and we’ll drive back the Russians to behind their borders.’
The appeasers seem deaf to the plight. It’s not their land being invaded, for if it were they would be singing another tune. Instead, they’re looking the other way and not acknowledging the gift that Ukraine’s effort has given the West.
The proposal made by the three countries does not provide security guarantees under NATO.
A shameful act, for Ukraine, by virtue of the fierceness of its resolve and the blood they’ve spilled in defense of their sovereignty, has more than proved they are a worthy of inclusion in NATO.
Ukraine can win this war. We must provide all the help they need.
The way to shorten the war and save lives, is to confront Putin and say, ‘stop firing the missiles into Ukraine from your territory. If you don’t then we will arm Ukraine with missiles (not nuclear) that can hit you back. If you have missiles to fire, fire them from the territory you have conquered, not from behind the protection of your borders.’
Is that an escalation? You can call it that, but it is a rectification of an unfair advantage, something we should have done long ago.
As Ukraine keeps fighting and we regain our lost courage, we should be ready to stand up for those who have done so much for us.
If France, Germany and Britain object, so be it. In time they’ll return to join us, but for now, their appeasing spirit is calling to them and saying, ‘let us drop to our knees for a while. Rest. Bow.’
Fortunately, there are countries now within NATO, like Poland and the Baltic states along with others, who’re willing to join us.
We cannot let Putin win.
Only Ukrainians can do that. Only they have the right to say, ‘we do not want to fight anymore, we have done enough dying. We no longer can fight to defend our land. We accept defeat.’
Only Ukrainians can do that but they will not.
Maybe present day French and British and Germans are willing to do it, but not Ukrainians.
So it’s up to us, isn’t it?
If we want to be the leader of the Free World there is a price to pay.
This is the time to do it.
We must confront Putin.

When that confrontation happens, Putin will likely bang his nuclear weapon drum but comrade Xi will remind him that we see China as an accomplice in the destruction of Ukraine, and if a nuclear weapon is fired in our direction, China will be our target too.
I am sure that is a risk the comrade is not willing to take.
Putin and Russia are not an island. They need China to survive.
And let us not forget that comrade Xi has plans to become Emperor at some point – who knows how far his kingdom will reach one day – maybe the world – he’s just getting started – and has no desire to see his beloved Beijing and Shanghai go up in flames.

A war fought now is a war not fought later.

Comrade Xi

I hear that you want to be a peace maker in the war with Ukraine.
Interesting.
You have, obviously, no shame, sir, not a shred of it.
You have encouraged Putin to kill thousands of Ukrainians and destroy their infrastructure,
while helping him sacrifice thousands of his own people. That’s children without fathers, without uncles, spouses without husbands.
So why do you want to be a peace maker?
Your aggrandizement?
Recently you chose to break with custom in China and pushed your party to elect you to a third term. Two terms weren’t enough for your big ego. You needed another one and probably two more so you can die in office like your great hero, Mao Zedong who, as everyone knows, was no great gift to humanity.
So you’re just like Putin. Not a shred better. We certainly can ask the Uyghurs in Xinjiang province and the dissidents in Hong Kong and I’m sure they’ll have something to say about it.
And we all know that this is part of your preparation to invade Taiwan. When the time comes, you’ll move to destroy everything they’ve built just so can tell your folks that you’ve unified China. Never mind the cost. Putin will be cheering for you, of course. Providing ‘logistical support’, as in, ‘don’t do anything against my “friend forever” Xi or I’ll fire my nuclear weapons’.
Comrade, you just don’t get that what the Taiwanese really want is their freedom to live as they choose. To have elections so if they don’t like a leader they can remove him or her from power. Of course, you wouldn’t dream of having elections. Too advanced for your political system.
But don’t get too comfortable about taking over Taiwan, because the West may have a little surprise waiting for you. Just make a note.
Meanwhile, in the South China Sea you’re bullying the Philippines, encroaching brazenly into their nautical space.
And I have no doubt that when Kim Jong Un from North Korea calls you to let you know he’s about to fire another missile over Japan, you say, ‘Go ahead, guy, let’s keep the Japanese and Americans on the edge of their seats.’
But shouldn’t you also help feed the North Koreans? Because we’ve been hearing their food supplies are running low. Nothing new, though. They’ve had thousands of people die from starvation before. Are you going to lend a hand?
So sorry, here I am getting distracted from my main topic. Understandable, because there’s so much to talk about. Like, for instance, how Chinese courts favor your companies in patent disputes with western companies. Never mind the balloon you were flying over Montana, which just happened to be above some of our nuclear silos.
Comrade, now you want to play peace maker. After you’ve supported Putin you want to come in and say, ‘let us all embrace, be friends again, kiss, kiss, and bring joy to your families.’
Of course, as part of any peace accord, Putin must keep Eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
So, no. Your story is just not believable. You are not believable. Or trustworthy. I’m sure your move to bring peace plays well at home, and that the millions and millions of Chinese you have scared into not finding their voice, will jump in joy that their great leader will bring harmony to the world.
Get serious, man.
Want to do something for humanity? Tell Putin to back off. To apologize to Ukraine and to the world. To get on his knees and beg forgiveness.
But you won’t do it.
It’s not in you.
So how long will the fight go on?
It’s up to Ukraine. It’s their land. It’s their people doing the dying. It’s their quest for freedom.

Mr Biden, You are Now a War President

Present circumstances are creating opportunities and reasons to end the conflict as soon as possible.
One, Russia’s army has shown weaknesses we didn’t expect.
There are feuds within their forces, which includes the mercenary Wagner group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. How come such a group gets to play an oversize role in Russia’s defense forces? Something is amiss in the Kremlin.
Two, China has decided to openly aid Putin in all ways possible, weapons included.
They see the war and taking Putin’s side as a path to split the world into two camps, with joining him becoming a first step until they gather the strength to come after us and make the world only one camp. Their camp.
Three, Putin has announced he will suspend the existing Nuclear Arms Treaty with us.
This is part of his scare tactics that must be confronted, not given into. The sooner Putin is defeated in Ukraine, the less the likelihood of a nuclear confrontation. Why? Because China wouldn’t let him start one since they, too, would become a target.
Though we have given much support to Ukraine over this past year, we have been indecisive and timid in our actions.
For instance, the promised delivery of tanks has been delayed and a precious opportunity to push back Russia has been wasted at the cost of many lives.
The divisions within the western alliance are eroding much needed resolve. There is talk about negotiating a peace treaty when a military solution is clearly possible. In Italy, former prime minister Berlusconi speaks openly of his admiration for Putin. In Hungary, prime minister Orban is not far behind.
And why has Erdogan been allowed to block Sweden and Finland’s full NATO membership?
Present circumstances call for speedy access to NATO and not to have it held back because of Turkiye’s internal problems.
Erdogan has not even agreed to the sanctions NATO has imposed on Russia, therefore severely undermining the war effort.
An autocrat like Erdogan does not deserve to be holding up NATO.
There is no question that Ukraine’s effort has earned our admiration.
Ukrainians’ courage has helped us regain our own courage. The courage we did not have when, in 2014, we did nothing as Putin took over all of Crimea.
Had we shown courage then, Ukraine would not have been in the present condition.
As leader of the Free World we don’t get to be passive in the face of such actions.
We either accept such role with all its responsibilities or relabel ourselves as something else.
Mr Biden, you are now a war president. And difficult choices must be made.
Why is it that we have allowed Russia to shoot missiles into Ukraine from their own territory, while we deny Ukrainians their right to fire back?
By allowing this we are granting a grossly unfair advantage while signaling that we have yielded to intimidation.
If we have the courage to acknowledge this, then we can recover our moxie and do what’s right.
His missiles are killing people and destroying Ukraine.
If Putin wants to fire missiles to kill Ukrainians then move the missiles to the territory they have conquered and fire them from there. That way Ukrainians can fire back and destroy them as I’m sure they would.
Mr Biden, as war president, you must challenge Putin and fix this cruel imbalance.
If Putin then chose to keep firing such missiles from his own territory, we should then give Ukraine permission to fire back into Russian territory.
An escalation? In his eyes, yes, but instead it should be seen as a necessary rectification. Why should Putin be allowed to kill as he pleases?
Do not forget for one moment that China is carefully watching for signs and moments of weakness in us.
It is inevitable that we will have those but we should act quickly to rectify them.
Ukraine has shown such determination to succeed that, if given all they need, I have no doubt they will push Russia back to behind its borders. And then, immediately upon their doing so, we should grant Ukraine temporary NATO protection, in effect bringing the war to a halt.
We should tell Ukrainians this now, so it will act as a further incentive for their tenacious fighting.
Mr Biden, your trip to Kyiv was an important step. Thank you for that.
Now we need to stop the missiles.
You are our war president.
Please move to end this conflict now.

Russians, Resist!

You don’t have to take up arms against Putin, resist instead.
Stop building armaments. Stop pumping oil. Don’t go to work.
Resist and you will help paralyze the economy.
Soldiers in the battle fronts, put down your guns.
Refuse to be an accomplice of Putin.
Refuse to kill Ukrainians.
Refuse to allow Putin to send you into battle.
Value your life.
If you are not free to say what you wish then you are a pawn of others.
You are not your own person.
If you have not developed your own thoughts then you are letting Putin think for you.
To become a true human being you must do your own thinking.
If you think you have a right to kill Ukrainians then you have consented to be degraded by Putin.
Russians, let your anger rise! It is anger you need to be who you truly are, not what Putin wants you to be. Rise and be an example to other enslaved nations.
Your leader is a small man, envious of other leaders because he hasn’t been able to guide your nation to where it could be, given all your resources and human capital.
A small man who has kept you isolated instead of joining the rest of the world.
But he is clever, a clever murderer, and he’s managed to mislead most of you.
Russians, you are not innocent in this war.
You can’t just say you were following orders.
Ukrainians did no harm to you and there you are choosing to kill them.
How long will this go on?
It is unbelievable that you have been so passive.
It will be almost a year since the war started and aside from the people who have chosen to leave and a few scattered protests, there has been complete silence in your nation.
Do you just swallow everything that Putin says?
In Iran massive protests shook the nation after Mahsa Amini’s death for not following the rules of proper dress.
Even in China, there were protests against the covid lockdowns.
Meanwhile, in Russia, silence.
‘Yes, sir’. ‘No, sir’.
‘Go kill Ukrainians!’ ‘Yes, sir’.
‘Fire missiles into their apartment buildings, into their schools, into their hospitals’.
And you do whatever your highness, Putin, says.
There are world leaders who want Putin to win this war. People like Xi Jinping and others.
Which is not difficult to understand because the Chinese are not free people either.
And in the United Nations representatives from all over the world talk and talk and solve nothing. Zero. But they eat very well and sleep comfortably at the end of the day.
And you watch it all quietly. Nothing stirs in your heart and minds.
Are you alive or just robots?
I have to remind myself that Alexei Navalny is still in prison.
Have to remind myself that in him lies the future of Russia.
That’s the true Russia!
Fight Russians! What are you waiting for?
Let the spirit of Navalny rise, stop the killing of Ukrainians and join the world!

Why Are We Fighting?

Photo by Kostiantyn Stupak on Pexels.com

The answer is not clear to many because we are being indecisive.
One sign of such indecisiveness has been the reluctance to offer Ukraine the proper weapons to counter Putin’s offensive.
It took forever to agree to sending in the tanks.
It is taking forever to agree to sending in the planes.
Forever to agree to the fact that Russia should not be allowed to be firing missiles into Ukraine from their own territory while insisting that the West should not aid Ukraine with weapons that can land in Russia proper.
Why not?
Are with Ukraine or not?
What are we afraid of?
It is not enough to say we are afraid of Putin. Not enough because he can be confronted on the matter of nuclear weapons.
Our nuclear weapons are just as good as his and China’s. And it should be clear also, that so long as China is around, they will act as a check on Putin because if we’re fired upon then China becomes a target. A target because of their assisting Russia in the killing of Ukrainians and thus a threat to all of us.
No one wants a nuclear war. But we are here because of previous indecisiveness.
In 2014, Putin invaded and took over Crimea while Obama was president. That is on us. On Europe. On the West. We let the bully take a bite out of someone’s else’s land and get away with it. It should have been dealt with on the spot but it was not.
All those high ranking thinkers in Europe and the West kept justifying the buying of oil from Putin, the shaking hands with him as he ruthlessly silenced his population. And Putin knew it. ‘The West is weak’ he concluded. ‘I can take them’.
So here it is.
And he’s not far from the mark because if Trump had won the election in 2020
he would not have objected to Putin calling him up to tell him he was thinking of annexing Ukraine. The mastermind of Make America Great Again would have said to himself, ‘what I really mean when I say MAGA, is for us to stay home and tend to our own garden’. But that won’t do because we live in a big world and with ability comes responsibility. And we have plenty of ability. Trump missed that.
A huge miss. Which is why he should be out of politics altogether.
So why are we fighting?
Because we owe it to Ukraine, who helped break the denial we were in, thinking that coexistence with Putin was possible, thinking that he would be considerate and reasonable.
The world we live in is not like that. If we leave it up to the Chinese they will enslave us.
And so will Putin.
This denial was worse in Europe, which has a long history of it.
Peaceful coexistence is out, so we must invest in being properly armed.
Yet even today, chancellor Scholz in Germany acts with timidity and so Macron in France.
Macron even took the lead for a while in persuading the West to consider Putin’s ‘feelings’, how he should not be humiliated – the poor and frail thing. Since then Macron’s backed off a little but not much.
Recently, in talking about sending more armaments to Ukraine, he spoke of being ‘open to the possibility’ of providing such help. Still tentative, the French President. Never mind the mounting toll of dead Ukrainians. Macron must have thought that we can dilly dally so long as those croissants are warm for breakfast.
As far as Chancellor Scholz is concerned, he should step down and let someone else take over in time of war, such is his difficulty making choices.
Yesterday, the British stepped forward and offered to supply planes. But it will take time to train the pilots to operate them. Time that equals more dead Ukrainians.
Biden replied that we would not be sending F-16s. Again, the fear of upsetting Putin.
Meanwhile, Zelensky, who feels deeply the continued loss of life in his great land, keeps begging for assistance. Begging. On his knees for his dear land.
‘We will do the dying, but please give us the weapons,’ he keeps imploring us all.
‘Trust that we will give all we have in pursuit of victory.’
True, there has already been much assistance from the West and because of it Ukraine stands today, but there should be more.
If there is more, then this war can come to an end soon.
So, please, let us help Ukraine win the fight of their lives.
We owe it to them.
I repeat, we owe it to them because they are helping us break through the denial that both Russia and China are not rapacious adversaries.
We must stand up to Putin. To Xi Jinping. Even if it inconveniences us.
Ukrainians are doing the dying.
Surely we can put up with some more discomfort.
Let us give Ukraine all the help they need.
Let us say to Russia, ‘if you don’t stop firing missiles into Ukraine from your own territory, then we will arm Ukraine so it can do the same.
And we will give them planes.
And the moment Ukrainians succeed in pushing you back to behind your borders, we will give them full NATO protection because they deserve it.’
The blood Ukraine has shed and will shed, has lifted them as a mighty example of heroism.
They need us now.

Violence and Impoverishment

Violence is a sign of it.
A few days ago I read of a physician in Dana Point, California, struck from behind by a car while he was riding his bike, then stabbed in the back and shot several times. He died from his injuries. He was 58 and practicing emergency medicine in the area. No ties between the killer and the victim have been established.
That same day I read of a whole family, including children, being killed by gang members in Central California. The same article spoke of the existence of over 30 thousand gangs in the nation.
In Miami, a man was convicted of manslaughter for hitting another who fell back and injured his brain, later dying. The conflict had started over a traffic dispute. The SUV where the assailant was travelling blocked the way of the other vehicle at an intersection. The other driver got out to complain. Words were said, then the man found guilty of manslaughter stepped out of the SUV and struck the complainant. He was sentenced to 5 years.
The less the restraint the more the societal impoverishment.
At the national level, Mr Trump is a known factor in the assault on Capitol Hill on January 6th, 2021. He, too, is a sign of impoverishment. National impoverishment.
And yet he’s announced his candidacy for president. Some people have even donated to the campaign.
At the international level, Putin chooses to attack Ukraine and is now guilty of the murder of thousands of Ukrainians and thousands of Russians. A sign of impoverishment on a grand scale. Russia, for all its riches, is presently a poor nation.
Here in America, we must be careful not to become one, for we keep killing each other. At a mall, at a dance hall, at a subway station, a school, on the street, anywhere.
Not being able to resolve our differences is a sign of societal impoverishment.
Opposing sides have chosen to give up on dialogue. Chosen to devalue the importance of it.
A nation filled with the talent to devise highly sophisticated technology, to make enormous advances in the world of genetics, artificial intelligence, space travel, medicine, transportation, automation, has not found a way to improve conflict resolution between human beings.
We have not found a way to square with our emotional world and acknowledge that, not being able to dialogue is a sign of impoverishment. Emotional and cultural.
We bleed because of it.
And, it seems, we haven’t bled enough. Because we have yet to face the insanity of not having the courage to sit down and talk to each other.
We urgently need leaders who have this courage.
Men and women who are not afraid to speak to their constituencies.
Men and women in positions of leadership who can look their supporters in the eye and say to them, ‘Compromise is hard work but it must be done. Without it we will not go forward. If you disagree with me and don’t want to vote for me next time, so be it. But that’s what I will try hard to do. Sit down with the opposition and find common ground.
At times we will want to vent our emotions – have our catharsis – but without emotional control, without continence, without respect for the other side, no matter how flawed we think they may be, we cannot move forward. A balance is needed between the two. We’re missing that balance. We talk about compromise but we want the other side to do most of it. It will not work that way.’
That is the kind of leadership we need. Men and women willing to risk the support of their constituents to find common ground. Leaders who can educate us.
Those leaders do exist. They live in our midst.
During the Depression in the 1930s, our nation went through very hard times. And a leader emerged to guide us through it. Franklin Delano Roosevelt did so. We went on to overcome the Depression and then lead the Free World in the fight against Fascism in WWII.
Nations respond to leaders who have a deep commitment to all its citizens, not just a special group.
Leaders who are not beholden to their constituencies but who dare do what needs to be done in the interest of the nation.
We need them urgently.

The Three Things to Win the War

One – Give Ukraine all it needs to push Russia back to behind its borders.

Time is critical. Zelensky has called for fighter jets.
The sooner we provide them, the quicker the benefits.
We don’t have to idealize Ukraine to acknowledge their tremendous courage,
their commitment to defend their land and affirm their right to self determination.
They have their flaws, like all of us do, but they have made their choice.
Victory or death. And they have been brilliant.
Can anyone recall any western nation making that choice since the end of WWII, as they fight a foe much more powerful militarily than them?
No western nation has done that.
Does Russia have the commitment Ukraine has?
No.
The majority of Russians have been living in a trance induced by Putin. They have swallowed whole the lies they have been fed.
It will take some time for that nation to come to terms with the historical costs of such passivity. Eventually, other leaders will arise and the necessary self scrutiny will take place. Meanwhile, all consenting Russians are accomplices in the atrocities committed against Ukraine.
A Russian not lifting a finger to dissent with Putin is an accomplice of his.

Two – Stop Russia from firing missiles into Ukraine from Russia itself.

This is unacceptable. It keeps happening because we’ve been afraid to confront Putin.
Why are we allowing this advantage to the Russians?
We should say to Putin, stop firing missiles from your territory or we will provide Ukrainians with the same capability.
Since when are Ukrainian lives less dear than those of Russia?
With their actions, Ukrainians have been loudly saying to the world, this war is winnable.
They are right and in need of our full backing.
Ukraine is standing today because of the effort made by the West to arm them. But we also have pressing problems of our own that need our resources and attention, the more reason to bring the war to an end as soon as possible.
So let us gather our own courage to put limits on Putin.

Three – The moment that Russia is pushed back to behind its borders we should declare Ukraine to have all the protections of a NATO member.
Given all the sacrifices Ukrainians have made and the atrocities committed by Putin and his fellow Russians, Ukrainians are deserving of such protection.
I am sure this could be agreed upon.
Turkiye’s president may object, as he has in blocking Sweden’s and Norway’s membership, but the man likes to play both sides and has yet to agree to the sanctions on Russia imposed by the West. So NATO should boot him out of the organization, let him cozy up to China instead and good luck with that.

This war should not go on and on. Ukrainians have limits. The nations forming part of the western alliance have limits, too.
The sooner the war ends, the better for all.
We should give Ukraine everything it needs now.
Ukraine’s commitment to succeed can push back Russia to behind its borders, and with NATO’s protections have the security to start rebuilding what will be a remarkable nation, the envy of all Russians and all other nations living without human beings’ basic freedoms.