Russia – Oscar Valdes

Does Putin Have an Achilles Heel?

Sun Unleashes Mid-level Flare by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

Putin speaks.

The world has not yet acknowledged how complete my domination has been.
From here, in Moscow, I can choose to kill every day. The number I want killed is entirely up to me. I can say, let me fire a missile into this town… no, let me hit the other town… or better yet, both towns. And no one can stop me. No one.
I wield absolute power.
In Washington, Biden scratches his head, every day, wondering how he could stop me. But nothing comes to him.
How have I acquired my power? By building my nuclear arsenal, steadily, improving it and making it clear I’m willing to use it… and by convincing my people that I know best.
How I managed to convince so many people will be studied by historians for years – how I stripped the majority of Russians of the will to be their own person.
And so the world is in awe of me… some may hate me… but they’re in awe of my power.
I can fire a missile or several, to Washington, to New York, to San Francisco, to London, to Paris, to Madrid… I can destroy Singapore… Tokyo… Manila… Mumbai… Delhi… and why spare South America… how about Buenos Aries… Rio… Santiago… Sao Paulo… then Melbourne… Sydney… and I can fire them at the same time.
I might even send one to the International Court of Justice in The Hague… take care of all those judges while they’re at work… Gordon Brown in England was blabbering the other day about charging me with crimes against humanity. He’d better watch his mouth.
And how I love to see the deference that world leaders show me… every single one of them… for when they come to me they come to see the king.
I look into their eyes carefully and notice how a handshake is not quite enough… that they’d rather bow to me… the deeper the bow the better… and I love it.
Even Xi Jinping… he knows he’s been helpful so that gives him some protection… but it’s up to me, isn’t it… up to me to spare him… for if I get pissed off I’ll bomb the crap out of China, too.
Nero… the emperor… got to see his Rome burn… it must have been exhilarating… but I can add it to my list and see the whole world burn.
I have been able to climb to this position because of my complete subjection of the Russian people. All of them. And those who brand themselves ultranationalists… I let them talk and be critical… but the day I find no use for them or get tired… I’ll round them up and eliminate them. Every single one of them.

He’s been sitting at his desk, now he swivels a little, crosses his legs.

Have I crossed the line?
Yes… I have. There’s no way back for me.
But no modern day leader can say what I can say today… I dominate the world.
I know it won’t last… nothing does… but I’m enjoying the thrill.
Still, I have choices… I can go down in flames with the entire world… exhaust my nuclear arsenal… fire all my missiles and bombs… kill as many as I possibly can… watch hundreds of millions of people destroyed by my fury… bring humanity to their knees… or I can take pity and spare some nations.

He nods to himself.

I know my end is approaching.
It’s been terribly exciting… festive… a carnival of death.
And yet… I’d like to be remembered, too… yes… no point in killing everybody. I know I will die in my fury but I’d like to be remembered… so I must spare some people so they can tell the story… if I have an Achilles heel, then that is it… that I don’t want to see history end.
I want the world to have a memory of me. I want to be studied and quoted and seen as so significant a force that from here on history will be divided into the before Putin era – bP – and the after Putin era – aP.
But can anyone stop me?

He pauses as he joins his hands in his lap.

Only the daring… the very bold… only the willing to sacrifice everything to save the world.
Save it… yes… from me.
I know there are people like that… men and women… now planning to strike the fatal blow…
I can feel it…
But I’d prefer that it be one of my own… a courageous Russian.

Putin and his Conscience

In his temporary lodging, Putin awakens in the middle of the night.
Something was stirring in his mind that interrupted his sleep.
He sits up on the side of the bed.
He switches on the light on the nightstand. It’s 2:05 am.
It’s the first night he spends at this location. It’s secure, with plenty of surveillance.
Yesterday at midday, just before he had lunch, he got a call from his personal secret service.
A possible assassination attempt had been intercepted. He was given some details with more to come as the investigation proceeded.
It has happened before but he feels confident his people are providing excellent protection.
And yet, it’s hard to relax.
‘Hi’
He’s stunned for an instant but recognizes the tone of the voice and sighs with relief.
‘You again…’
‘Yes… me…’
The disembodied voice has no discernible source. It’s just there, all over the room.
Putin looks around the room, slowly.
‘What should I call you?’ he asks.
‘Whatever you wish.’
‘My conscience?’
‘You could say that…’
‘What’s the point?’
‘To help you think.’
‘Ah, that.’ Putin smiles.
‘You’ve said you needed space… that you felt hemmed in by the West… so Ukraine should be yours…’
‘That’s right. Not just my space but Russia’s. I’m doing it for Russia.’
‘I’m familiar with the argument… but as I examine things… it seems to me what you are really needing is enlargement of your mental space.’
‘Aha.’ Putin chuckles.
‘Looks to me like you’re cramped inside your mind…’
‘Cramped?’
‘Yes. For instance, in your way of thinking, sexual orientation is of only one kind… you have to be straight or you fall outside the law.’
‘That’s right.’
‘It doesn’t seem unnatural to you?’
‘Not at all. Russia is the future of mankind and perversions are not allowed.’
‘Wow. It is amazing how you can be so certain about matters so complicated and which stir so much debate in other societies…’
‘Decadent societies. Here in Russia, we strive for purity.’
‘Purity… hmm… that’s a troublesome word, isn’t it? I mean, Hitler used it and then led so many people to their deaths… caused so much disruption… so much pain… so much loss.’
‘You don’t think we can be pure?’
‘No. We’re all tainted, impure… a mix of generosity and hatred… a blend of the sublime and the vile… we’re human…’
‘I don’t want that for my Russia…’
‘… and, surprisingly… the more aware we are of our sometimes sharp contradictions… the more of a chance we have to control our excesses… the more of a chance we have to temper our actions… to perchance find understanding… even kindness.’
‘I’m a great believer in the Russian Orthodox Church and what Patriarch Kirill has to say.’

Pause

‘It’s hard for me to understand how a church like that can be so close minded.’
‘Call it what you will but so long as I have nuclear weapons that’s the way it will be.
I have the power to bring the world to its knees… and Russians love me for it… they love the power I give them… they may be isolated in this world but I make them feel special… big.’
‘We have a problem here, don’t we… it’s hard to get through to you.’

Putin nods pensively.

‘I think I’ve crossed that line. A while back.’
‘I find it amazing… here you are, talking about being special, you and all Russians… and you’re killing you neighbor every day… mothers, fathers, children. In the name of the church?’
‘In the name of a new world order… together with China… a new world order where the rules are written by a few outstanding leaders… like me and Xi… and the rest follow the rules. At first I had doubts I could do it but no longer. I am certain now. I can intimidate them all… Macron, Scholz, Sunak… in fact they’re already working to get Zelensky to compromise and come to the negotiating table… where I will insist on keeping the territory I’ve conquered… and the plan they proposed doesn’t even give Ukraine NATO protection. It’s a victory for me, already. I was right. I could divide the West.’
‘What about America?’
‘America… ha! Makes me laugh. All that talk about freedom and they love strong men, they elected Trump didn’t they? All that talk about freedom’s benefits, but what do they want to do with it? Get a gun!
Ha! And yes, I’ll do everything I can to get Trump reelected. And I’ll ask comrade Xi to help, and together we’ll help persuade the voters that Trump should be president again. And then again, after he changes the rules. Too bad the assault on the Capitol didn’t go well. But look at how many Senators and Representatives still love him? I’m convinced human beings prefer the comforts of living on their knees to the pain and tribulations of having a mind of their own.’
‘In the meantime… you’ll keep killing your neighbors?’
‘They have to learn their lesson.
Maybe one day, in the future, human beings will learn to live in freedom… I admit it has its attractions… love… brotherhood… sisterhood… yes… all that… but that’s in the future… I live in the present. So what do you have to say to that?’
‘In your power… you are not free,’ replies the voice, ‘your mind narrow as your heart.’

All is quiet now.
Putin’s expression turns somber.

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.

Recapping the War. To Putin, STOP THE MISSILES.

The invasion of Ukraine by Putin on February 24th was a brazen power grab.
Putin decided that having Ukraine under his thumb would tell the world, ‘Russia will take the space it needs to feel comfortable.’
To provide some justification for such action, he invented the notion that NATO had seduced Ukraine into joining the West and so encroach upon him.
He ignored the Ukrainian sentiment to not be under the Russian boot.
Putin was expecting Ukraine to not resist his invasion and instead welcome him with open arms – that Ukrainians would bend a knee in honor of his majesty from Moscow.
But Ukrainians put up the fiercest fight of any country against an invader since WWII. Thousands have died and much of the country has been destroyed as they hold fast in defense of their sovereignty.
The West was surprised by the show of courage but has committed to supporting their effort.
And an angry and humiliated Putin has increased his aggression, bombing Ukraine wantonly, and sending ever greater numbers of soldiers to the battlefront.
The West has responded with economic sanctions which have slowed Russia’s economy.
But Russia has countered with restrictions on their sale of gas and oil to Europe on which the continent had become dependent and so affected their productivity.
Still, Europe has been able to deal with the loss by getting LNG (liquefied natural gas) from America and some of the oil and gas producers from the Arabian Gulf.
Russia has fought back on the sanctions by selling their oil and gas at lower prices to clients like China and India.
Meanwhile, China and Iran have provided weapons to Russia, making them outright partners in the war.
While the battle continues to rage on Ukrainian soil, the contending parties are now at a relative standstill. But this will not last for long.
Ukraine keeps asking for more weapons from the West and this has created rifts in the alliance, with some nations showing signs of support fatigue.
If the West doesn’t keep up shipments of armaments to Ukraine, then Russia will have the edge and conquer the country.
But what has Ukraine done for us?
They have awakened us to the reality of a new power balance in the world. Russia and China, who both have totalitarian regimes, want to dominate the world. They want to spread their version of government as far and wide as they possibly can. In their doing so they will attempt to control markets to support their systems.
We cannot let them do that.
At stake is the preservation of human beings’ freedom.
So Ukraine has become the battleground for a new power balance in our world.
Push back Russia to behind its borders with Ukraine and we will be sending a clear signal that our system of government will not be subverted.
Lose in Ukraine and the signal we send will be that we lack the determination to defend any country where an outsider steps in to control it.
But to win in Ukraine we need a greater effort than we have made so far.
To win, we must treat Ukraine as if it is already one of our own.
Ukrainians have fought with enormous courage and that alone should grant them that status. NATO membership procedures need to be modified to give them immediate access.
They would still have to make some governmental structural changes for full membership, but access to the protection against an invader should be given solely on the merits of the courage they have shown.
Turkiye should not be allowed to become an obstacle to such inclusion. Nor should Hungary. Already Turkiye is playing both sides in the conflict. They help Ukraine and Russia. And they have not agreed to join with the rest of NATO nations in sanctions against Russia.
Turkiye has even objected to Sweden’s and Finland’s applications to join NATO unless they allow for the extradition of members of a Kurdish party that is opposed to the present president of Turkiye, a well known autocrat.
Through their enormous courage, Ukraine has become one of our own and should be treated as such.
For those concerned that some of the funds sent to them may be misused, there are remedies for that. But weapons should continue to be provided.
Ukraine and the West must win this war. The conflict should not be allowed to go on and on.
Up until now, Putin has been firing missiles unto Ukraine from inside of Russia which have been responsible for enormous losses in lives and infrastructure.
And yet, we have been reluctant to give Ukrainians the missiles they need to fire back.
Would that be an escalation? Yes.
But it must be done. Step up to Putin and tell him, ‘Either you stop firing the missiles unto Ukraine or we will enable them to do so in return. Your choice’.
Doing this will save thousands of lives.
And it will mark our full commitment to the task of defeating Putin in Ukraine.
To those who think that doing this will push Putin to use his nuclear weapons, I say, Russia will not do so because it will risk a nuclear war.
And China would be the first to remind Putin that if he were to fire such weapons, they too would become a target of the West because they have been a known accomplice of his.
We must act now.
No peace talks should begin unless Putin agrees to withdraw completely from Ukraine. Including from Crimea.
President Biden should more actively speak about the importance of winning this war to all Americans. There is an urgent need to make sacrifices for Ukraine.
And it is for us to lead the effort.

Elections 2024. Early Forecast

Dianne Feinstein (D) announces she will not run for reelection as California Senator. Age is the key factor. She will be 90 later this year.
Nikki Haley (R), 51, steps out as a candidate for president, challenging Trump who is 76.
Tim Scott (R), 57, is to announce his own candidacy in the next week or two.
Ron DeSantis (R), 44, is sure to follow as will others.
The political engines, never dormant, are revving up again and favor the younger.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic party, all would be challengers wait for word from Biden. Will he or won’t he, run for president again? He will be 82 in 2024.
Biden has done a good job, but it’s time to cede the space and not hinder the new aspirants.
The longer he delays his decision, the greater advantage to the opposition.
Democratic would be challengers need time to get themselves organized, fine tune their message and smooth out the inevitable kinks.
Republicans aspirants have it easier for the upcoming election.
Trump has so damaged the party that whoever looks half way decent is a viable contender.
Lamentably, so far, many seem unwilling to criticize him openly and harshly.
Trump will lose in the primaries anyway, but if he miraculously does not, then he will be trounced in the general election. And, of course, he will go on to claim that the election was fraudulent.
Ideally, what Biden should do is decline to run again as soon as possible – like next week – and then commit to prepping all the Democratic newcomers. Not just Kamala Harris.
Biden would be making a great contribution to the nation if he made a point of periodically gathering all would be Democratic challengers and schooling them on how he’s conducted his presidency on both national and foreign affairs.
Mr Biden has much to teach, and doing so would strengthen the positions of democratic candidates as they fight off the opposition and themselves.
Because Mr Biden’s performance has covered so many aspects, such mentoring assistance would help build formidable candidates.
I don’t recall any sitting president ever doing that unless it was done in private.
This upcoming election is for Democrats to win handily, provided they’re disciplined enough.
The likelihood is that inflation will be under control well before election day. So, too, will Covid, while our investments in infrastructure and climate change will be moving along.
Biden should not be looking at the 2024 election as a contest he should win but as one the Democratic party should win.
Even if Biden is not challenged from within the party, the contest against the Republican nominee will be exhausting, which will take time away from major concerns, chief among them the war in Ukraine.
As we stand, there remain within Europe bitter differences as to whether to fully support Ukraine.
There have been delays in supplying armaments essential to hold back Russia and one day boot them out of Ukraine entirely. This has given Russia additional advantages.
So focused attention on the war is essential, as well as explaining its importance to the American people.
Ukraine’s heroic defense of their land is a major contributor to the political stability of the world.
Russia continues its attempt to destabilize neighboring countries, as recent evidence suggests has happened in nearby Moldova, whose government is pro-western.
It is conceivable that the war will come to an end during Biden’s term if he were to stay on task and is not distracted by running for a second term.
And winning the war would make for a great gift to all of us.

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.

Bolder, Mr Biden.

After long delays the approval for sending tanks to Ukraine was given. But it will take months before they arrive. A delay measured in lives lost.
The delay was largely due to German obstructionism. Chancellor Scholz, for whatever reasons, putting up obstacles to assist Ukraine.
This delay has given Putin an advantage. Not only can they keep firing missiles from their own territory but, with greater number of soldiers, now they can push more effectively against Ukraine’s resistance.
Zelensky has called for fighter jets and longer range missiles to defend his nation.
We should give them to him as soon as possible.
Mr Scholz will likely put up other obstacles to not do what is needed, but if Germans themselves don’t bypass him, then we should. How? One option is to come to a consensus that, in the upcoming rebuilding of Ukraine, contracts to companies to do the work be awarded in proportion to how helpful their nations of origin were in assisting Ukraine. Scholz’s obstructionism should put German companies at the bottom of the list.
Ukraine’s enormous effort, dying in defense of democracy, is being underestimated.
So far, we have been intimidated every time that Putin talks of his nuclear weapons.
We cannot allow him to brow beat us.
His threats need to be met with resolve. And arming Ukraine with all it needs, short of nuclear weapons, is the answer
At this time China is going all out to bypass the economic sanctions the West has imposed on Putin. They are afraid of a victory by Ukraine because such victory will empower the growing resistance in China against the dictatorial powers of their communist party.
Ukrainians have made the commitment to push back Russia to behind its borders. Doing so will transform not only Ukraine but also Russia.
By now we know the courage is there. What is needed is to arm it.
For that, Western boldness is needed.
There are nations in the alliance that will prefer to scream loudly against such a position but to delay assistance is the equivalent to siding with Putin. We cannot allow it.
So it falls to you, Mr Biden, to be bolder in the interest of all nations.
Imagine the power of a fully recovered Ukraine with all its borders reclaimed and rebuilt with the assistance of the West?
Such light will shine so bright that it will move Russians to carefully examine why they have subjected themselves to the authority of Putin. They will realize they have consented to devaluing themselves by not fully exercising their political and economic freedoms.
When that starts to happen, if Putin has lasted that long, he will be asked to leave.
The same process is likely to happen in next door China and other nations farther away.
Ukraine’s uniqueness deserves all the support it needs and the resulting benefits will be great.
A nuclear war is a very distant possibility because China will act as a check on Putin.
China does not want a nuclear war. They know that if one is triggered, they would be caught in it because we would have to fire on them also.
You have done a great job, thus far, Mr Biden. Greater boldness is needed to finish the job.
You can do it.

To The War Reporter

Photo by Abdullah Ghatasheh on Pexels.com

You go to the source of the action,
You take the risk,
The Ukrainian soldier tells you as much as he’s allowed
And you sift through it all to capture the essence,
Their humanity, their fears, their courage.
At those moments, when you’re listening and carefully observing
all that you’ve been allowed to immerse in,
you become one of them.
A Russian missile could be about to land where you are taking notes,
yet you steel yourself to capture all that is noteworthy before your senses.
Sights, smells, sounds, taste and touch,
And then you send it all to us,
To anyone who’s open to taking it in,
You send it condensed into words that leap across nations and oceans
to elicit thoughts and emotions that then carry us back
to your side,
at that soldier’s side,
and a bridge is built.

By your actions you enlarge our minds,
Sharpen our judgments,
make possible the flowering of empathy,
the deepening of solidarity,
the evincing of conviction in the purpose.

For some of the soldiers you interview,
that moment you shared with the rest of us may become the paper clipping
his family will treasure, maybe even the only memento if the soldier is blown up the next day
and doesn’t get to return from the front to embrace his wife and children.
With your writing you reach out and capture life,
You enrich, expand and lengthen it,
You frame the heroism of those men
Fighting against forces of darkness that seek to entomb them and us all.
Your efforts help create a new consciousness that is critical to embolden the world’s fight for freedom.

Gifted men and women,
warriors in defense of ideas and humanity,
Press on!
we are most grateful for your strength,
your vision and commitment.
Dare on!
Without you the world would be darker and cripple our minds,
Our thoughts and feelings wouldn’t take wing
and instead crash on the rocks of ignorance.

From all those whose lives you’ve touched with your reporting,
Thank you.
The pursuit of liberty would not be possible without you.