Keep it Simple
It hit me a little when I was sitting in mass. We do the usual things because I suppose the usual things give us some comfort. Of course, the faithful hopes it does more. We said rosaries for Ukraine and we ultimately hope it has some positive impact. So, it isn’t the prayer themselves but what we say before the prayer.
The priest told us we were praying for all of the world leaders to come up with a peaceful solution in Ukraine. He’s a really great guy (the priest). I know he means well and I imagine most churches are saying something similar. Yet, that sentiment hit me. We are operating in this situation as if a global community needs to come together to come up with a collective solution to a problem where multiple people are involved in the causes.
There is one man. Ukraine didn’t do this to themselves. Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t do anything to anger or provoke the Russians. The European community, international community, NATO, or the United States didn’t do anything specifically to invite Russia to invade Ukraine. This was a decision by one man, so any praying needs to be done for the victims, but also for that one man.
This is usually where conservatives point fingers at liberals and liberals point fingers at conservatives. If only you would have done this or said this then none of this would have happened. It’s a trap. Vladimir Putin is a bully. Like most bullies, you either stand up to him or you don’t. There is little rhyme or reason to their behavior, so it’s more about you reacting to him than him reacting to you.
This is one of those scenarios where the former guy’s behavior comes under question. He seemed way to eager to be Putin’s friend. He seemed way to eager to go along with him at all of their various summits (particularly at Helsinki). So, the obvious thought was that he was indebted to Russia in some way. There were some shady business deals that seemed to indicate that.
Yet, that line of thinking is probably trying too hard. The former guy’s pathology is easier to grasp than that. He likes all strong men because he wants to be a strong man. So, he may have gotten help putting him in office, but it might not be anything other than Putin feeling he was better for them than Hillary Clinton.
On the flip side you have the other side wondering if Biden is too old. Maybe he isn’t tough enough to show the resolve necessary to steer the world through this situation. Maybe a strong man would be the best thing to help combat a strong man. Except, we aren’t exactly sure whether the former guy is anything other than a paper tiger. He acts tough though and I guess that’s enough for some.
Again, this is simple. This isn’t about the world developing a complex strategy to deal with all of the players so they can come to an equitable solution. This is about one man flying off the handle. It is about the world simply putting that man back into a box or six feet under in a box. Everything else is simply a distraction.
I agree mostly that the solution is simply about dealing with the one man, putin. However, we have to deal with TFFG and his followers, some (many?) who side with putin and blame Joe Biden. Who was it that that called Zelensky a “thug” and others voted against aid to Ukraine? TFFG likes to be associated with tough guy leaders as do the magats that follow him. They want to be seen as tough guys, too. Compassion to them is a weakness, a dirty word and bad trait. Same as putin.
1So IMHO, it’s not as simple as just dealing with the one guy.
Hey, did anybody see the news story about a whole bunch of Three Percenters packing up their guns and going to Ukraine to help protect democracy against tyranny?
Did you see the Proud Boys putting on their body armor to help freedom fighters stand up against Russian missile launchers?
Or the Oath Keepers going to Kiev to use their combat first aid training to help women and children when the Russians shell a maternity hospital?
I didn’t think so.
They have the high-powered firearms which would help Ukraine tremendously. They have the ammunition, been stockpiling it for years. They have the body armor. They have the boastfulness.
There has never been a better time to stand up to tyranny and, you know, “governmental overreach” than this invasion of a peaceful and democratic country by a murdering dictator.
Where are the Three Percenters? Where are the Proud Boys? Where are the Oath Keepers?
Oh yeah. They are in their parents’ basements, drinking beer and bragging about what a great score they got on some fantasy combat video game.
2Stopping Putin is not the sole responsibility of Ukraine. We are living in geopolitical times. We failed to halt Putin in Crimea, now “the line” is Ukraine. President Biden and Sec Blinken are doing what can be done to shore up NATO, and avoid a unilateral US position. While absorbing Ukrainian refugees, Poland has been the first crack withing the NATO alliance. That whole “let you in him fight” offer by Poland to usher aircraft to Ukraine by a proxy arrangement with the US at Ramstein AB was rightfully rejected. Say wot? They’re worried by how Putin might reacts?!? Pattern and practice. Perhaps Poland is waiting for Putin to take Moldovia next before determining that yes, they too could be annexed.
NATO can and should give material support to Ukraine. But. To date they’ve been weak as to establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine which is an essential part of a solid defense along with an established BZ and ADIZ to be enforced on the ground as well as in the air.
As Sandridge and others have noted give Putin a wakeup call. It would be so sad for him to lose the Kalingrad Oblast, if he should continue his assault on Ukraine. Putin wants land grabs; thus the last thing he wants is losing his port at Kalingrad. Unlike Ukraine that is a sliver of land more easily taken as well as absorbed by its NATO neighbors.
In short. There are options that can be taken that do not result in a nuclear WWIII.
3You say Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t do anything to Putin? What Zelenskyy did to Putin was hold up a mirror and show both Putin and the world what a small, hollow man Putin is.
4Yes, Trump can act tough. And that works with followers. Putin isn’t a follower. He knows a pose when he sees it.
Trump would claim he has a fantastic agreement with Putin for Ukraine, the best agreement ever hammered out, and it will always go into affect in 2 weeks.
Then after Ukraine is conquered, Trump will coordinate with Putin the greatest post-war plan for reconstruction ever developed, that will benefit American business and create jobs. But mostly it would involve a Trump Tower in all major Ukrainian cities.
5Jane & PKM, I’m more and more inclined to agree that there are other options (beyond sanctions) that won’t lead to WWIII but will help Ukraine defend itself. I’m thinking not doing more to defend will actually make things worse. Putin will be more emboldened along with China, N. Korea and Iran. There’s risk either way but something more is needed in a hurry. Kyiv is already on the brink today.
6Bullies are attracted to other bullies. Trump is a bully. Putin is a bully. Problem is, Putin helped Trump win an election and expected Trump to be a bully on his behalf.
7Here is a link to an article by Chris Hedges, a journalist who reported from numerous warzones. It is not uplifting, but I think it provides a lot of context missing from the MSM as to what is at stake.
https://scheerpost.com/2022/03/14/hedges-waltzing-toward-armageddon-with-the-merchants-of-death/
8Jane & PKM @3, I’m real leery of any attempt at a ‘no-fly zone’ or actually seizing Kaliningrad.
Anything like that is guaranteed to initiate a nuclear WWIII. Putin is deranged, but absolutely in control.
Putin’s gone off the rails, but he’s still Rump and the GQP’s puppetmaster.
I was a schoolkid in the 1950s, remember the Cold War stuff. I’m very surprised that so few people seem to be taking this Ukraine dustup seriously, it really is extremely perilous.
And IMO, more dangerous than the old Cold War. We had MAD [Mutually Assured Destruction] back then, with rational leaders on both sides.
Now we have a Russkie go-for-broke nutcase dictator who ‘has nothing to lose’; and YKWTM. Oh yeah, if the Mango Mussolini Cmdr Bonespurs Donnei somehow gets back into our White House, he’s not only incompetent, but thinks he’s a genius who can outwit anyone…
PBS’ Frontline2 is running two separate current hour programs on Vladimir Putin. I can’t reccomend y’all watching them more, ASAP.
They’ll scare your socks off.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-road-to-war/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/topic/russia/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/
9This is an excellent summary of the MANY arguments against a no-fly-zone.:
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/03/no-fly-zone-test/363099/
From Kos hisself:
10https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/3/15/2086153/-Ukraine-update-I-wouldn-t-sweat-a-possible-amphibious-assault-on-Odesa-or-Belarus