Support for our assistance to Ukraine has been largely bipartisan. It's one of the few areas where Democrats and Republicans have agreed. But there is a small group of people who think we should turn a blind eye while Russian thugs under the direction of Vladimir Putin commit atrocity after atrocity. The bombing of playgrounds and apartment buildings, the torture chambers and mass graves are thousands of miles away. Nothing to see here, these isolationists say. This appeasement allowed Adolph Hitler to grab Czechoslovakia in 1939. We all know how that ended. But we fail to learn. We basically did nothing when Putin grabbed Crimea in 2014. It is little wonder that Putin, like Hitler, would keep going.
I can respect those among us who oppose war under any circumstances. It's unfortunately unrealistic. There's also a small contingent of far-right conservatives who want us to sit on our hands while Ukraine drowns in blood out of some misguided anger at the country for refusing to allow itself to be blackmailed by Trump. The politics should stop when national security is threatened. We should actually be doing more to help, and I'll explain why.
One of several failures of Barack Obama's foreign policy was his unwillingness to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2014. He did authorize $200 million for what essentially amounted to nonlethal aid for items like medical supplies and night-vision devices. At the time, the late Senator John McCain remarked, "Blankets don't do well against Russian tanks." Trump, when he assumed office, put together a $250 million package that did include some actual weaponry, but he froze (and unfroze) the aid in a failed attempt to blackmail Ukranian President Zelenskyy. This aide failed to deter Putin from invading Ukraine again, in February, with over 100,000 troops in a "special military operation" that was supposed to last a few days.
Instead of crumbling, Ukranian forces fought back. Hard. The US offered to spirit Zelenskyy away, but he refused to leave Kyiv even though hit squads were roaming the city to take him out. "I need ammunition, not a ride," he is rumored to have said.
His wish was granted. As of late September, the US alone has provided $16.9 billion in military assistance. About 40 other nations and even some private corporations have also provided money and material. The result has been an ongoing Ukranian counter-offensive in eastern parts of the country that have deeply embarrassed Putin.
Here's why we need to help.
1) The Russian invasion endangers our own national security. An independent Ukraine is a bulwark against the rise of yet another Soviet Union. Should Russia prevail, it will destabilize Europe,, much like it was during the Cold War. This in turn destabilizes the US and forces us to overextend troops and military hardware to protect both our allies and ourselves.
2) A successful Russian invasion allows Russia to use oil and natural gas as weapons, which it is already doing. This is why Russia has to be stopped.
3) Ukraine is independent, sovereign and democratic. Its people have the right to follow their own path.
4) Russia has engaged in repeated human rights violations, which continue even as I write this story.
5) Prosperity in the US is directly linked to peace in Europe.
6) We are not sending soldiers.
7) Failure in Ukraine signals China that it should take down Taiwan.
Trump and Flynn are putin apologists. Everytime you turn around, it seems magas are rooting against democracy and humanity.
ReplyDeleteHaha, you oughtta go on late night television.
DeleteWhat happened to defend democracy on their soil and not ours?
ReplyDeleteBlah, Blah, blah, usual unthinking propaganda, We are in this situation because of this countries attempt to contain and squeeze Russia. Ukraine will not win this conflict, western Europe is destabilized already and the worst is yet to come. all because of the arrogance and incompetence of the U.S. foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteSome people just want continuous foreign wars they do not care about American lives they make big money during these wars. We should bottle up our borders and worry about what is going on in our country we have enough problems. However, anyone messing with should be delt with big time. Pat Buchanan would have been a great president.
ReplyDeletePro war Democrats is the strangest political phenomenon in my lifetime. This is no way to fix the economy our government destroyed. Go fight yourselves. And shut your fat faces about anyone who is needy in this country. Feed them your excuses for sending billions to start a world war by proxy in Ukraine. Heartless and stupid. Another war. Fucking awesome.
ReplyDelete"We basically did nothing when Russia took Crimea in 2014". Except for destablalize the democratically elected government that we didnt like to install a pro-western government. Why do you think we are in the predicament that we are currently in? Hmmm
ReplyDeleteYou use some pretty strong words to describe the russian military invasion....do you judge the United States as harshly for Iraq? Or any of the other military endeavors we have taken on over the last 70 years?
Bipartisan? Yeah, the neocons from the left and right agree that war makes them money.
For the rest of us, we would rather see American tax dollars spent on the Americans struggling here at home.
"Some people just want continuous foreign wars they do not care about American lives"
ReplyDeleteNo American lives are being lost. We are aiding Ukraine so they can do the fighting.
Biden, in his infinite wisdom, should be mediating a draw down of hostilities. Instead he spends his time going on about ice cream.
Delete"Ukraine will not win this conflict, western Europe is destabilized already "
ReplyDeleteUkraine is already winning and Europe is more united now than it has ever been.
Europe is going to fold come winter due to energy demand. Remember, cold, poverty, and hunger have toppled more empires than war.
Delete"And shut your fat faces about anyone who is needy in this country. "
ReplyDeleteYou don't care about the needy in this country. Who are you kidding? You only care about yourself.
Another Consequence of the regime change agenda of our foreign policy "EXPERTS". a policy that has killed 100's of thousands, displaced millions, destabilized Europe and the middle east. In their quest to rule the world, They have now created a duel economic world system that has many advantages over the interests of this country.
ReplyDeleteAre they this stupid? Or is this what they really want?
All this when they refuse to control our border, ignite the worst inflation since the 1970's, made us dependent on foreign energy, unleashed criminals into our communities.
Approaching 100 Billion for Ukraine and no money to control our own border.
How can anyone left or right support such an agenda?
The poor Ukrainians are dying to fight our war.
ReplyDelete"Pro war Democrats is the strangest political phenomenon in my lifetime. "
ReplyDeletePro Russian Republicans is stranger by a country mile.
"Biden, in his infinite wisdom, should be mediating a draw down of hostilities. Instead he spends his time going on about ice cream."
ReplyDeleteYou can rail on about Biden, but you play with the team you've got.
"Europe is going to fold come winter due to energy demand. Remember, cold, poverty, and hunger have toppled more empires than war."
ReplyDeleteThat's actually pretty much false. People can be amazingly resilient, much more so than the animals that feed them. What topples empires are wars. That has been the case throughout human history.
Where is the liberal doctrine that's been firmly established over the last 70 years?
ReplyDelete"Unless our ally is perfect, they're just as bad as the other guy."
Let Ukraine fight if Thet would not listen to Clinton they would nuclear weapons and would not need our money. And Bernie no Americans fighting yet but do you trust Biden--I don't
ReplyDeleteI am convinced there is a great deal of money laundering going on here. Probably true of most wars and foreign assistance. We have no way of knowing how many of our tax dollars are being kicked-back to our Members of Congress and other special interest groups.
ReplyDeleteJust a few days ago, the leader of the American Federation of Teachers made an official visit to meet with Ukraine officials!
Now, what is her expertise? The real purpose of her trip? Same for recent visits by various elected officials of our government.
Government corruption in America is real.
Yes, our money to the corrupt Ukraine Government.
ReplyDelete"Another Consequence of the regime change agenda of our foreign policy "EXPERTS". a policy that has killed 100's of thousands, displaced millions, destabilized Europe and the middle east. In their quest to rule the world, They have now created a duel economic world system that has many advantages over the interests of this country."
ReplyDeleteUkraine has been an independent and sovereign nation since 1991 and has had its own cultural identity for hundreds of years prior to that. It is the poorest nation per capita in Europe and has been riddled with corruption bc of the influence of Russian oligarchs who have exploited Ukraine and her resources for centuries. Ukranians wised up after the invasion in 2014 and installed a new government and restored its constitution.
Russia has shit on Ukraine for centuries. It literally starved its people in 1932 under Stalin, resulting in millions of deaths. It forbade the use of the language and removed and killed its intellectuals.
Russia's invasion is what has displaced the millions of Ukranians.
They are standing up for themselves as a free and independent people. We should support that , but more importantly, it is in our national interest to support the opposition to Russia's attempt to create a new Soviet Union ruled malevolently by oligarchs with no regard for human life.
8:51, You think money laundering is going on in Ukraine bc that is what kooky conspiracy theorists claim without evidence. We are providing hardware, and if you follow actual news instead of echo chambers, you'd see that Ukrainians are putting this material to very good use. You basically don't know what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteThe money laundering you find so offensive was actually occurring here. Russian oligarchs set up numerous shell companies here in the US to hide their assets. That has been partially blocked by the Corporate Transparency Act if 2021, which requires corporations registered here to reveal beneficiaries. The Enablers Act should tighten the noose a bit more.
I think we should help Ukraine but how many billions is enough? Where’s the rest of the world? Europe needs to help more. Also, where is the accountability for all this money we’re giving? Ukraine isn’t exactly known as a corrupt free entity.
ReplyDeleteBernie looks like you're talking to turds in a toilet bowl.
ReplyDeleteWe need to decide what we want to be when we grow up. Do we want to be the leader of the free world? Or should we throw up our hands and say, "Do whatever you want to the girl, but leave me alone!"
My Grandfather survived Stalin's purge un eastern Ukraine, watched men starve to death so their children could live. He was forced into the Red Army at bayonet point at 17, after witnessing his neighbors executed because they hid sheep skins from the army. "Shot in the back of the head. Their faces were gone." His mother, sister never seen again. His brother was killed in the siege of Stalingrad.
During his final years, he spoke of the war and the purge. "I will never forget the smell of burning human flesh". He was 92 when he passed, lived 75 years with the smell of war etched in his brain.
So, carry on you comfortable culture war keyboard warriors. I hope you will never know Russian aggression.
The pro Russia commentary here is hilarious, and clearly talking points provided by Putin/Kremlin to their mouth pieces here in the US, namely Tucker Carlson and other "on air" traitors similar to him.
ReplyDeleteRussia is not winning the special military operation or war, not now and not in the future. They don't have the men or equipment to "win" let alone drag out a stalemate to even win small concessions from the West. The financial sanctions are slowly strangling the Russian economy, they've expended much of their "high tech" weaponry at this point and are having difficulty resupplying troops.
Biden and US Foreign Policy in cooperation with other governments, namely NATO have played this perfectly and simply let Putin put himself in a bad position with very little room for a graceful recovery. We should all be celebrating this, not making excuses for it.
Bernie, maybe consider the veracity of the echo chambers you use! Of course, we are providing hardware for Ukraine use. But, tell us what percentage is hard goods, and how is all that freight getting from here to there? We are making bank deposits to Ukraine for the most part. They are using it as they wish, even to pay Ukraine government worker salaries. We also have our own Special Forces on the ground there assisting.
ReplyDeleteMost importantly to me, Putin's Russia has been engaged in de facto asymmetric warfare against the United States for years now. payback is a bitch.
ReplyDelete@10:21AM - NAILED IT!!!! Best and most insightful comment I've seen here in days, maybe even weeks.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that out education system has failed so severely that we now confuse Stalin's purge of Kulacks to impose collective farming with Russia today. it is clear that very few know what they are talking about and like parrots just repeat what they heard on the evening news.
ReplyDeleteThen go out and support some of the same policies imposed by Stalin in the past.
Over 70% of the people think the last election was unfair Between the FBI, big Teck, and the media which you are a part of gave us Biden as a result after Afghanistan Putin saw his chance to invade Ukraine, If the election was fair, we would have Trump and not all these problems caused by Biden. My only fear is the same will happen in the 2022 election and that will kill this country for once and for all.
ReplyDeleteNo more money or equipment to the corrupt government of Ukraine. they could have nuclear weapons, but they listened to the great Clinton and gave them up. Listen to a democrat and this is what you get. Clinton cost them big time. Bernie, we know you will not print this because we all know you are a fake blog, and you are afraid of the truth.
ReplyDelete"It is sad that out education system has failed so severely that we now confuse Stalin's purge of Kulacks to impose collective farming with Russia today. it is clear that very few know what they are talking about and like parrots just repeat what they heard on the evening news.
ReplyDeleteThen go out and support some of the same policies imposed by Stalin in the past."
If our educational system has failed anyone, it is you. I've previously written about the holodomor - the deliberate starvation of 3.9 million Ukranians on orders from the Soviets during 1931-1932. Putin, a Stalinist who embraces the Soviet cult of fear and control, is doing what he can to continue what Stalin started.
The famine extended well beyond the kulaks, but included entire villages. What's more, roads to exit these villages were blocked. It was a deliberate starvation of millions of Ukranians.
The history of this event is extensively covered by Anne Applebaum in Red Famine, in which she observes that, for centuries, Russians always regarded Ukranians as inferior people. At best, they condescended., At worst, they exterminated. This attitude still prevails among the Russian elite. They thought nothing of banning the use of the Ukranian language, which they regarded as peasant speak.
And these days, Putin extolls Stalin and raises this monster as a Russian hero. He was a monster, just like Putin.
Try reading my own blog before you bray nonsense.
https://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2022/08/remember-holodomor.html
"@10:21AM - NAILED IT!!!! Best and most insightful comment I've seen here in days, maybe even weeks."
ReplyDeleteI am humbled, sir or madam.
Bernie Good for you maybe there is hope for you.
ReplyDeleteI eagerly await your next piece about such-and-such not being properly funded. You will. And it's only a matter of time before US boots are on the ground in Ukraine. We've seen this movie and know how it ends. But let's go ahead and repeat the cruel lessons of history. Incredible.
ReplyDeleteWe have enough problems here.
ReplyDelete"Over 70% of the people think the last election was unfair Between the FBI, big Teck, and the media which you are a part"
ReplyDeleteThis comment is typical of the MAGA fascist. 70% "of the people" do not think the last election was unfair. It was 70% of Republicans, and that was two years ago and before dozens of lawsuits were dismissed. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/09/republicans-free-fair-elections-435488
By the way, this post is about Ukraine.
"We have enough problems here."
ReplyDeleteWe'll have a lot more if Trump's pal Putin is allowed to get away with murder in Ukraine.
"I eagerly await your next piece about such-and-such not being properly funded. You will."
ReplyDeleteAnd you'll say it is.
"My Grandfather survived Stalin's purge un eastern Ukraine, watched men starve to death so their children could live. He was forced into the Red Army at bayonet point at 17, after witnessing his neighbors executed because they hid sheep skins from the army. "Shot in the back of the head. Their faces were gone." His mother, sister never seen again. His brother was killed in the siege of Stalingrad."
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your perspective. Your grandfather is a hero. Yes, the holodomor was very real, but the MAGAs are trying to pretend that Russia is more enlightened. That's why they bomb playgrounds, murder children and rape women.
I support helping Ukraine for most of the reasons Bernie mentioned. If we run out of money it's for a noble and most important cause of democracy and freedom. We as Americans should feel their pain and want to help. However our present spending programs are out of control and need to stop. Our borders need to be secured. Our leaders who continue to spend money we don't have need to be voted out. Finally and sadly as seen in the comments Americans as seen I this blog have lost what it means to be an American. We are becoming a country filled with people who care only about themselves. The Ukraine people are true heros fighting for and valuing democracy
ReplyDelete10:09, Very well said. If the right and left have one thing in common, it is that we are all selfish and self-absorbed. Today, on my way to the courthouse, I went thru AM and FM radio. PBS had a program on pork chops cooked with pears, leeks and thyme. AM was mostly commercials for old farts, followed by the usual "I hate Democrats" tripe. No discussion of any matter of substance. I thought about the people of Ukraine as I listened to this vapid nonsense. They have suffered for centuries, not just since February or 2014. I am heartened that a consortium of at least 50 nations is doing what it can to help. Germany is teaming up with two other countries (I forget who) to order Czech tanks. There have been numerous offers of air defense systems. I saw a video of a bus in Ukraine that was out of commission, and a Ukrainian farmer towed the bus so people in it could reach their destinations. These people are very resilient. Putin has a problem. Yes, Ukraine has issues. So does every country.
ReplyDeleteForeign entanglements. Democrats just don't learn. Is it because of, or a result of eliminating history from school curricula? Watching faculty lounge foreign policy is terrifying. But hey, Ukrainians seem like nice folks. So war is cool. I want peace back. Wasting money on proxy wars doesn't achieve that. Democrats. Good grief. And you still haven't addressed how compromised our president was/is there. Shouldn't that be known before playing brinksmanship with nukes? Yeah. Probably.
ReplyDeletePutin is a WAR PIG !!
ReplyDeleteJohn Houseman had a line in Three Days of the Condor talking about nostalgia for his OSS days "I miss that kind of clarity". Right vs wrong could hardly be more clear. America used to do the right thing, as best we could. We're doing the right thing helping Ukraine as much as we can without causing a wider conflict
ReplyDelete