It Didn't Have to Come to This!

 My, the Kremlin has been busy today. Let's go back a few days though.  Sweden and Finland are both tidying up their internal business so they can join NATO.  Probably a wise decision since Putin has now declared that World War 3 has begun.

Then the Ukrainians blew up a Russian ship.  First Russia denied it, then turned around and admitted it. Uh oh.  This is not good.  Never mind that the ship was in Ukrainian waters and shelling Ukrainian territory. I suppose to Putin's way of thinking, blowing up his ship was an escalation of the war. Whatever he thinks, this was an embarrassing loss for the Russians.

Now he's threatening the use of nuclear weapons. It's anyone's guess who will be on the receiving end, but you can be sure the first will be Ukraine. After all, people are escalating the war he started!

The bluster is now in high dudgeon. Putin has warned Sweden and Finland against joining NATO. He has told us to stop supplying weapons, and who knows what else since I turned off the news a while ago.

Will Biden get a backbone or will he cave to Putin's demands? This could have been avoided if we had given the Ukrainians what they needed in anticipation of the invasion.  I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know something evil was afoot when the Russians were amassing forces on the Ukrainian border. A training exercise?  In a country the size of Russia, they hardly had to go to the border of a neighboring country to hold exercises.

Who knows where this is going to go and how fast.  I still wonder about two things.  One, how did Putin get inside the head of our President that in essence paralyzed him from doing what was right. Especially since there isn't much in his head, to begin with. It isn't his fault. I know that, but to think he has his finger inches away from our own nuclear button scares the hell out of me!

Two, if Putin didn't get in Joe's head, what does he have on Joe and/or his family? I've wondered about that on this blog before. Whichever, it does not bode well for the world.

I suppose the agonizing over which of our high-level officials is going to be sent to Ukraine to show that we can play like the big boys like Boris Johnson. I heard speculation it might be Kamala Harris. It may be more shrewd than I think. They could let their guard down while listening to her laugh about the death and destruction that will surround her. Or, they could lose their concentration while waiting for her to string together enough words to make a cognizant sentence.

This is not a happy post for Good Friday. It is made even sadder to think the Ukranians will not be decorating their spectacular Easter eggs this season. I can only hope they know that the American people are behind them even if our government isn't.

What Price Escalatory?

 

An item on the news last evening made me laugh before sending a chill down my spine. A Russian official has demanded we return Alaska; no matter that it was bought and paid for. Return Alaska?? Really?

It made me think. What if Russia invaded Alaska to destroy our oil reserves, say. And we were having a hard time because we didn't have what was needed to drive them back. We asked Canada for help - munitions, guns, food, sanctuary for Alaskan residents, and maybe even planes no longer in use. Canada drags its feet while Alaska is being decimated because any help they might give could be considered escalatory and would bring upon them the possibility of World War III.

Sound ridiculous? Maybe.

This morning I watched an interview with a very frustrated man asking if writing a check for aid wasn't just as escalatory only on a different scale? His conclusion was that it should be considered such. Is the fact that we're sending Ukraine weaponry not as escalatory as allowing planes to be delivered by other than the U.S.? World War III is most likely not in Putin's game plan because he, too, would be destroyed and his mission of resuscitating the old Soviet Union would be gone forever. He would have failed.  He'd not like that to be his legacy.

So what else could be happening? Why is Biden, the weakest link in NATO, holding up aircraft that Ukrainian pilots are perfectly capable of flying? Why does he toss "escalatory" around with abandon while Ukraine is being destroyed?  Never mind why the other countries are bowing to him.  That's another subject for another day.

I'm going to put on my conspiracy theory hat and suggest this.  We know that the Bidens had deep ties with both Ukraine and Russia when Ukraine was under a Russian puppet government.  We know Biden's brother and son, Hunter, held undue influence and received obscene amounts of money in return for access to Biden while he was Vice President.

My question is this. Just what does Putin have on Biden that we don't know? Is it, heaven forbid, possible Biden wants Ukraine destroyed so that any evidence that might remain in that country is destroyed? Destroyed so that Putin cannot resurrect it to use against Biden?

Oh, my, this has been an exercise in what-ifs. Or could there be a modicum of truth in the suggestion?

The Measure of a People

President Zelenskyy was not the most popular of Presidents when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. That turned instantaneously when asked if he needed a ride to safety and his reply was he didn't need a ride, he needed ammunition.

That, my friends, is the measure of a leader. He has done nothing but enhance his image ever since.

Now, what about the Ukrainian people? Right or wrong, I often judge people by how they treat animals in general and pets in particular. If they don't like animals I doubt I'm going to like them.

The news clips I can't escape have shown hundreds and hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing their country with little more than a backpack and, yes, their pets. Everyone from the tiniest of children to the elderly. 

Pair that with both the men and women who have stayed to fight and you have a people worthy of the admiration, and yes, the staunchest of support, from the world. Why are they not getting it?

Well, take a look around at the hand wringing of the world's leadership.  Heaven forbid we should irritate Putin. It might escalate the war. I don't think the Ukranians want to hear it.  They're losing the country they love chunk by bloody chunk with every day that passes. 

Do our leaders really believe Putin will stop with Ukraine? One thing he is known for is telegraphing his intentions. We knew this is coming.  We also know the Baltics are next. And NATO. 

If I were a young man and able, I think I would probably join the Ukrainian cause. Even if in reality it would be tilting at windmills. Putin's wars have to stop. If our leaders don't have the moral courage to do so, may the people have the strength. 

If someone doesn't come forward, and soon, we too shall be hit one way or another.  All because we're afraid of one man.  What's wrong with us?

Think About It

 I've been thinking a lot lately.  Mostly about questions for which I have no answers.  It is very frustrating.

One subject that is at the forefront of the current dialog.  If we create a  no-fly zone over Ukraine we will start World War III. This seems to mean that Putin will unleash his arsenal of nuclear bombs on the western world.

Would he really do that?  Would it not mean instant retaliation?  And, if we lose wouldn't he? Therefore, why would he do it? Or is it weak rational the west for doing nothing?

Two. If we open up drilling again it would delay our march toward ending fossil fuels. Well, let's look at this.  First of all, clean energy just isn't ready for prime time and until it is - well,  government dictates are what's hurting the American people. Plus, just because there are a lot of oil leases out there, they may well have been explored and found to be non-productive.

Three. If we lived in a fossil-free world, would it really prevent bad actors from attacking whomever they please? I'm thinking not. First, all those battery-powered vehicles will need to be charged. What do you charge them with? Electricity.  How do you get electricity? Even if it's generated with green energy, sophisticated hackers are more than capable of shutting down the grids - not to mention old Mother Nature.

I don't know.  I've got an appointment so I'm putting my thoughts on hold for a while. Something else to think about while I'm gone, however. What can we do to stop this madness NOW? There are things but world leaders just don't want to take any chances. "Tsk. Tsk. We can't do that. It may anger Putin."

Tough. I'm already paying the price I'm told is coming.  I can't afford groceries or gas to get out and get them. 

Think about it.

An Elephant in the Room

There is an elephant in the room and it's not a Republican. It's a nation. Ukraine.

I would have thought, at one time, the United States would have been the last country in the world to not stand by the Ukrainian people. That hasn't been true for longer than I care to remember.

We seem to always be the last ones to arrive at the party if we show up at all. I won't bother going all the way back in history. Let's just go back to Chechnya when the Russians were making short order of them.

We did nothing. Or maybe more in recent memory, Syria, when Russia was dropping chemicals on civilians. We did nothing.  Or most recently in Afghanistan where hundreds if not thousands of Americans and our allies were deserted behind enemy lines. We did nothing. 

 So here we are watching the slaughter of Ukrainian civilians.  What are we doing? Little more than nothing.  Well, we are wringing our hands, fearing we might offend Putin and that might lead to an even bigger and bloodier war.  How much more bloody can it get?

Yes.  I am an angry, disgusted, old lady who has been listening to those cursed sound bites again. But there is truth to a great many of them.

About that elephant. It's said elephants never forget. I don't know if that's true or not, but let's assume for the sake of argument that it is. Our government is not the elephant, or if it is, it's the poorest excuse for one there could be. No. The ones who will never forget the U.S. wasn't there for them this time are the Ukrainians. Maybe, too, the reason why the lion of peace in Europe, NATO, hasn't been instilled with courage from the Wizard is that they have no faith we would be there for them, either, should the need arise.

They're good at hand ringing, we're good at hand wringing and we're all in the same room.  Right there with that elephant. 

Somehow I don't see our stellar Vice President going to Poland bolstering their confidence in the United States at all. I'd consider it an insult that the U.S. would send someone so feckless.

Elephants are a herd animal. They have family units that warm your heart, they're exploited by the stronger and more sinister among us - they're very much like we, the people. An awful lot of us are in that room with the Ukranians and we will not forget. At least I hope we won't. I know I won't.

The Ball and Chain of Fear

 Which of these figures best reflects the United States of America. The one on the right if you're considering the people.  The one on the left if you're considering our leadership.

I don't know how our leaders can look themselves in the mirror and feel the virtue they spout while millions are dying in Ukraine. I am so tired of hearing we can't do more for fear of starting WW III. What sort of world do we have now when political self-interest trumps doing what's right. I've been witness to too many wars since instant transmission of images has become the norm.  No tape delay.  Live-action, happening now.

Most recently was Afghanistan. Now it's Ukraine. If I hear a pundit telling a Ukrainian  that a no-fly zone can't be set up because it could lead to WWIII one more time I think I'll scream. First, it's not for a pundit to say.  Plus, I think "could" is the keyword here. Does Russia really want to deal with the aftermath of a nuclear war?  Or China? I should think no more so than we or the rest of the world.

Do we so lack confidence in our ability to prevail that we're willing to let Russia annihilate one more country on his March to the Atlantic? Why do we allow faulty policy justify continuing to buy oil from Russia as the war in Ukraine rages? Why do we insist on funding Russia's war effort?

What kind of people are these who supposedly run the free world? We know the kind who run Russia and China.  I never thought I'd equate ours with them.

I live, as do most of us, in a world of sound bites.  We hear that Ukraine is a corrupt nation. It was at one time to be sure.  Just look at Hunter Biden's dealings with them and the enrichment of the Biden family that followed. Is it still true? Perhaps to a degree.  I don't know. They do have a different president.  One who is standing with his people. To the people of Ukraine he is their rallying point and a reflection of their resolve. 

On that point, finger pointing would be like the pot calling the kettle black. There is way too much corruption in today's politics. No matter where. But it's the people who suffer through no fault of their own other than country of birth. Especially in the grasp of dictatorships where they have no say in government.

It isn't supposed to be like that here.  We do bear a great deal of responsibility for what happens because we put these people into their positions of power. 

The Ukrarian people don't have a lot of time to overcome without substantial help from the rest of the world. We do. We have elections coming up in a few short months.  We can't throw all the bums out in one fell swoop, but we sure as heck can start. Lest we find ourselves at the mercy of cruel dictators on our own soil, let's hope we do.

There Will Always Be Bullies

Russia is a bully.  It always has been and I expect always will be as long as people like Putin can hold on to power.

I've been watching the Ukraine incident unfold with this in mind.  I think back to  West Side Story where the two gangs, the Sharks and the Jets,  go after one another and one lone young man, the hero Tony, tries to bridge the gap.  He ends up dead.  Mostly because he didn't have the tools to quell the gangs.

Today's conflicts aren't much different.  Our Secretary of State can preach to the Russians, or any of our other adversaries, about how they're behaving in an outmoded manner all he wants.  The reason why they thumb their nose at him and our President is because neither has the will nor the tools to have any clout.

One reader seems to think every time I write along these lines I'm advocating war.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I am advocating being able to go to war as a last result if necessary. An ability to show strength that  gives those adversaries pause. With the Defense Department cutting the Pentagon budgets to the extent they are, they're diminishing that deterrent.

In an ideal world negotiating would work.  Everyone would get something and life would go on.  We can't even do that within our own government.  Why should the world follow our rhetoric on an  grander scale knowing we have no will to lead?

Putin doesn't care which decade his behavior is most reminiscent of.  He knows there is no will to stop him nor the ability.  He will continue on until he gets bored, take a rest then get back to it.  Whatever 'it' may suit his fancy.

Also in an ideal world there would be at least one other player who has the tools to stop him yet chooses not to utilize those tools unless the need is dire.  That role used to be filled by the United States.  I think it really began changing when Bush went into Iraq.  I remain furious with him for that action.  The U.S. doesn't start wars.  It ends them.  Pair that now with a pacifist detachment from all that goes on outside our borders it has done nothing but embolden bullies of all stripes.

The Europeans are of no help because they have done what we're about to do - allow our lust for spending overpower good sense and put the economy at  even more peril than its already at.  They've become beholden to the Russians for life sustaining gas.  They're strong trading partners just as they are with Iran.  With Russia pulling the strings.

We're like Tony now.  We no longer have the tools.  The waffling from the President makes him no one to fear.  The weakness of our allies make them no one to fear.  And the bully rules.

As in other parts of the world, there will be those who will try to step up to the plate.  It will probably be students.  Bored, lack of opportunities, tired of sacrificing for the selfishness and corruption of their leaders. Without the counterweight to the bullies they will not succeed.  Look at Iran.  Look at what had once been feasible in Syria until we dithered it away.  How many others?

Will the pendulum ever swing back?  I don't anticipate it in my lifetime.  The Republicans in our area, which is small town conservative America, can't even get their heads together on what they represent.  The Democrats are facing similar problems.  Those defecting from their ranks are doing so to save their careers, not because a policy is just plain wrong.

Grass roots.  It begins there.  Left unchecked you get what we have today.  The bully that will always be, will continue to win.

We Could Kick Putin Off The Cat Bird Seat

We won't but we could.  We could do to Russia exactly whet they've  scolded us for doing to other rogue countries like Iran and Syria.  Impose sanctions and freeze their assets.

If Putin can't sell his gas and oil at exhorbinant prices to countries like Ukraine, his budget dries up. He can't mount continuous aggression without it so he needs to get his former satellites while the getting is good.

We could go back and build the missile defense systems for the Czechs and Pols that we canceled thinking it would help the misspelled reset button from when Obama first took office.  Didn't anyone see the handwriting on the wall from that one?

We could freeze the assets of Russians in this country. And of companies and countries doing business with both Russia and the U.S.

This doesn't put one military boot on the ground.  We don't need NATO or UN approval. We can make hell freeze over.

Unfortunately I've not seen nor heard the will to do anything more than what the Russians do so well.  Scold.  The problem is, we bow our heads and slink away. They laugh like the bullies they are and take advantage of the situation.

They'll win if not challenged.  If we don't, who will?  We're needed.  Why is it we're absent without leave?  Or in more precise terms - deserters?

Does Anyone Have A Clue?

As the Obamacare debacle continues, so does the one in Afghanistan.  Unless you've been living in a cave, lucky you, you know that President Karzai is dragging his feet over signing an agreement that will protect our soldiers from Afghan prosecution should we leave a contingent behind and they run afoul of Afghan law.

In return, of course, we give more than we get.  They want to tie our hands even more than they already have thus making it easier for our soldiers to err.  As usual it's a bad deal at best.

In our infinite wisdom, however, we've decided to give the Afghan security forces much needed helicopters.  Note I said give.  At a time when our country could sorely use the revenue from selling them, but then the Afghans have privatized the aid we've given them so they have no money.  Perhaps that's not all bad.  At least our people will build them.  What?  No?  We're buying them from the Russians?  We're buying Russian helicopters to give to the Afghans because they are superior to ours.

Well, open the door and come right in.  Those helicopters are going to have to be maintained.  That means Russians will send their techs giving them a new foothold in the country.  What are we thinking?  We know Russia is trying to get a strangle hold on the Mideast.  They already have it in Syria.  We know they are friends with Iran and now they will have carte blanche in Afghanistan.

And speaking of Iran, Karzai has agreed on a "cooperation pact" with them. It is to entail long term political security, economic and cultural cooperation and regional peace security.  Who better than the Russian backed Iranians?

Our Secretary of Defense tried to allay fears by promising to beef up security measures in non-complicit nations and it was of course considered a threat. A state of mistrust promulgated by Israel, Iran's arch enemy.

Let's ice the cake.  It has also been reported that prosecutions for crimes against women has slowed to a crawl, not that it ever really got going.

Dogwalk's solution?  Pull all our military out!  Let the Russians sell their copters directly to Karzai.  If he can't afford them perhaps Iran will lend him the money since they are doing better now that their sanctions have been eased.

Of course, now that Mr. Putin has dissolved state media in Russia it may take some time for how this all works out to reach us.  Not that it matters.  The President wants no part of it because a speech to a captive audience can't fix it.

That's the way things are now.  I understand that.  But please, Mr. President, do the right thing and bring all our personnel home.  If you don't they'll be sitting ducks.  I'm willing to wager the boys from Duck Dynasty would even give you some tips on how to call them home.  It makes no less sense than any other part of our foreign policy!

The Waiting Game

There was nothing in Obama' speech last night that came as a surprise.  Actually it was a rehash of what has been said before.

So where does it leave us?  As an insignificant entity whose leader abdicated our position as leader of the free world.  Instead we are now bowing to the dictates of Russia whatever they may be.

Military action has been delayed which is what the President wanted even though he wasn't going to have much say in it anyway. However, it hasn't necessarily been avoided because we'll be jumping through the same hoops when Iran is ready to go nuke.  With even less support than we have at present.

The worst part of it is Assad will go unpunished because Russia will protect him.  That wasn't the President's intent either though I have yet to figure out why. Assad still has his chemical weapons.  Removing them will take months if not years and who can trust Syria to give them all up? And who can guarantee he won't use them again while all the "negotiations" are going on?

So what has our bluster left in it's wake?  A demoralized Free Syrian Army who most likely would have been the good guys at the beginning.  Now there is so much al Qaeda infiltration into rebel ranks we haven't a clue who is a safe bet.

We have ancient, historic Christian communities being destroyed by these rebels and the citizens who refuse to embrace Islam being beheaded.  Are chemical weapons worse?

We have Assad left unchecked to carry on with his civil war.  That's an oxymoron isn't it? Civil War? Russia will keep him well armed and those caught in the cross fire will continue to die.

Meanwhile our people will meet with Russia's people and try to sort things out. To suit Russia and Syria and the U.N. will wait to see which way the wind blows before coming up with their own resolution.

Meanwhile, the country that should be dictating the terms for the surrender of WMDs, the U.S.,  is sitting, begging and rolling over to Putin's commands.  Will he even throw us a bone?  I doubt it.

Tony Blair was chastised for being Bush's poodle.  What does that make Obama to Putin?  Maybe a chihuahua?  Well, at least he's got the ears for it.

Don't Pop The Champagne Corks Just Yet

You could almost hear the collective sighs of relief when Vladimir Putin seized on an off hand remark by John Kerry and ran with it. That Syria give up it's chemical weapons, ingredients, etc. to the international community to eventually be destroyed.  Standing alone it is a noble endeavor.  But it does not stand alone.

Why do I think ole Vlad has something more up his sleeve than one upping our President one more time?  Because I don't trust him.  Because I don't trust Assad.  Nor am I thrilled with the competency of the U.N. And because this isn't as easy an undertaking as the media are making it seem.  The big factor is there is a civil war going on in Syria. I hardly think Assad is going to neglect it while he gives up his chemical weapons.

I am going to listen to the President tonight with a great deal of interest.  I, as many others, think he sees this as his out.  Again, it isn't that easy.  Of course the Russians have to bring forth their proposal.  Like the watchdogs are going to be and what demands he will make on the U.S.

Then there's how they're going to get the weapons out of Syria amid a war and how they will verify all have been removed amid a war.  No easy task.

I suggest the President set a deadline for the proposal in the very near term or this could drag out until the desert freezes over.  He should never, ever take military action off the table.  He does, however, need to learn how to use it judiciously.  He's been given a reprieve on that one.

There are nearly as many caveats to the Russian proposal as to the President's call for missile strikes.  A best case scenario would be a discussion with the American people as to what the new wrinkles are that this proposal has brought to the table.  And that the President doesn't try to claim the idea as his own and try to make himself into the visionary statesman that he is not.

No doubt I will have a few things to say tomorrow.  It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings and at the moment there isn't a lady in sight - fat or otherwise.