It appears the United States will abandon Ukraine, a democratic nation fighting for survival against Russian invasion. Trump appears to be cozying up to Putin again, something I could never understand during his first term. Further the United States seems about to forsake our NATO friends and allies in Europe. Although I was an objector in Vietnam, we seem to have forgotten the WWII lesson of Poland in 1939.
It is estimated something in excess of 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded. Russia does not say exactly. Ukrains says they have lost about 45,000 soldiers killed and 325,000 wounded, plus 150,000 civilians killed or wounded. The war seems to be more or less at a stalemate with an increasing proportion of the Ukrainian population wanting it to end. My compassion extends equally to Russian families who did not choose this war, even now to North Koreans thrown into the battle. The human race has had great trouble with strong-man tyrants and dictators. Only four generations since the world rose up to swat down that last one. Regardless the agressor, once the blood starts flowingi it seems to find its own justification.
I suppose the answer at this point, not a solution but an answer, is a cease-fire more or less in place ….. until Russia and Putin starts this shit again. When Trump and Putin met behind closed doors in Helsinki, and Trump demanded even the interpreter’s notes be given to him, that was the first time the word “treason” entered my mind. And today our President is tearing down the United States security institutions while inflaming culture war divisions within the country. How deep is the moral abyss? The institutionalized corruption of the Eric Adams debacle may be only the beginning. Border patrol turning off their body cameras, what is that about? The depth of cruelty in mass firings without cause; see my previous post about efficiency not cruelty. Are we paying attention? Or are we mostly working just to get by? Inflation has notched up again. Food prices continue high and rising. Fuel, which had dropped to near pre-covid levels, jumped up again here in the last week. Is it the Trump tariffs?
Has extreme partisan politics brought us to this?
This morning, 2/19, Trump is saying exactly Putin’s claim, that Ukraine started the war. Where is the conscience of our nation?
I don’t have a lot of heroes but Voledymyr Zelensky is one. A very brave man.
