The Ukrainians should thank God that their country is in Europe and not in Africa. The world pays little attention to African wars, even though they are just as bloody (or worst) than what is happening in Ukraine. Just ask the Ethiopians. Interesting article on the war in Ukraine by an African journalist : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60603232.
Putin is already successfully using his nuclear arsenal without any detonations. He is using it to intimidate the NATO into noninterference with his aggressive behavior. He moves with impunity against Ukraine while NATO demurs and withholds jets from Poland because the move might upset Putin. He's got the world over a barrel, and he knows it.
Putin is giving the orders, but the generals and troops are doing the destruction. Where are they getting their food? They need fuel. Cut off their supply lines, hack their computers. They need communications. Hack their coms. They need food. They need water. They need air. Cut off their supplies.
Germany invaded Poland, we did nothing, but England declared war and got Dunkirk.
Germany invaded a host of other countries, and we did nothing.
Germany declares war on the USA and we did nothing but "lend lease" for another 2 years.
When our military was finally ready, we went in on June 6, 1944 and if we did not have allies, would not have won. If Japan had not bombed Pearl Harbor, we may be looking at Europe today being under NAZI control. A "no Fly Zone" over Western Ukraine for humanitarian purposes and declaring it a Demilitarized Zone for all others other than UN forces run by NATO just like we had over Iraq, will not start World War 3 because our intentions will be made clear. No accidents, just counter force to give the Ukranian people a safe haven while the war rages and to allow the Ukrainian government a place to retreat to, so they will not be taken out and shot, while the United Nations decides what to do with the bully. Let the Russians know that if they take over Ukraine, then Ukraine will have the same sanctions as Russia and will not be able to sell the Ukrainian crops outside of Russia. They will have to re-build the cities alone without international help and they will inherit a broken economy and country.
Though I usually agree completely with the writings of Dr. Reich , and his motivation is unquestionable, this allegory represents a completely naive misunderstanding of international politics. I was forced to subscribe in order to make this comment , but have been totally surprised the lack of intelligence displayed by the well meaning commentators who are willing to sacrifice the people of Ukraine , and a nuclear third world war for an ideological power struggle between Russia and the US , in the form of NATO. The more money and weapons provided to the recent government of Ukraine, the longer the conflict will last, and the more people will die. The understanding of the interests and motivation of Russia, and a negotiated settlement is the only way left to end this conflict. Imagine the US response if a socialist/communist government would be elected in Mexico , and they would invite an alliance of Russia, China, Iran , and North Korea to place troops and nuclear weapons in Juarez , Tijuana, and all along Trump's border wall. Kennedy was and is praised for being willing to risk a nuclear war to prevent Russia from installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. Putin probably imagines himself in that tradition. The concept of Evil is a religious invention, which refuses to understand the interests and motivation of ones enemies . The science of conflict resolution is needed much more than the red badge of courage.
Along with others in overwhelming force you act against the bully. You either put the bully in jail or you beat him up so badly that he gives up his bully behavior. This is what NATO should do with Putin. It should use the least amount of force, in stepwise fashion, to defeat the invading Russian forces and/or influence Putin to withdraw. A no-fly zone, already requested by Zelenky, would be a good start. Of course, there is some risk that Putin will use nukes, and then NATO will need to use nukes in a proportional response, but some things are worth fighting for and dying for. The community of nations (UN or NATO) must protect national sovereignty, democracy, and the lives of persons. The bully must be brought down.
Clearly this is what nuclear blackmail looks like. It’s harder and harder to see an off-ramp to this atrocity. I had some sympathy with the voices that NATO went too far but how could we not include Poland and the Baltics? The true nature of Putin was revealed in 4 wars leading up to the present. I am bracing myself for a horrific week.
I might get my ears boxed with what I say here. No, we should NOT stand by and watch the slaughter of human life. Sanctity of life is one of the attributes that differentiate us from the predators in wildlife. We don't eat our young nor the young of others. Smerconish, who airs on CNN Saturday mornings, presents a question for a vote from his viewers at the end of the show. In the last three weeks, he's asked questions circling the one you asked. This week concerned whether we should help with a 'no fly zone.' (I think.) ALL three weeks received an overwhelming 90% (32,000 plus viewers) YES for the U.S. to stand up to Russia. I feel we are cowards. That is not our DNA. (We can debate the other side of that at another time.) I wrote a blog yesterday and was amazed that Republicans and Democrats alike wrote to me questioning their own resolve: Can I watch this daily slaughter and allow the bully to continue? Robert, do you think Putin will stop with the Ukraine? We need to send the WORLD-OF-BULLIES a message: Don't mess with human rights. Don't kill children. Do not do it for 'we the people' will protect the innocent, provide justice where injustice exists, and not allow 'man's inhumanity to man.' We said, "Never again." Yet we stand on our shores at a distance. We've seen bodies rolled into ditches. Is this not a reminder to those who remember, who should remember of Hitler's death camps? No, the U.S. needs to act and call the bully's bluff. All bullies are consumed with an arrogance of weakness. Call his bluff and by so doing we also send a message to other powers of the world: Do not, do not think of dehumanizing a people, denigrate their dignity, destroy their land, and take away their freedom.
Obviously, there is only one thing to do: You pull out your phone, videotape the bully's ruthlessness and threaten to post it online if he doesn't stop. Because the bully, like you, is so filled with rage from an unjust, exploitative system that profits off of making life harder for him and his family that he'll even lash out at kids, at anyone and anything that will allow him to feel slightly powerful and in control of his constantly-spinning world, even if only for a moment. He is so overcome with anger at the endless grind and its inhuman obstacles that the only threat that breaks through the adrenaline-fueled fury is a video that, if seen by his employer, could mean the end of his paycheck and his ability to keep his family indoors during this brutal winter, and the end of the health insurance that keeps the life-saving treatments coming for his wife. And so, even when away from work, he realizes there is nowhere he can go where financial incarceration and despair do not define who he is, what he can be, and how he can act, for as cruel as he can be, nothing is as relentless and unforgiving as the American economy.
I would do precisely what the Biden administration is doing. Barring reckless actions that could result in everyone’s demise, I would use every available means to intensify the kid’s ability to defend him or herself while also attempting to disrupt the bully’s ability to continue assaulting the kid.
Given the odds, I imagine, at best, I conceivably could engineer conditions whereby each kid would be just strong enough never to lose and just weak enough never to win.
CNN is doing excellent reporting and is planning the next hero award show sponsored by Big Pharma the healing industry for everything we tell you you should be worried about.
I was always flabbergasted that Western powers tried desperately to appease Hitler, that they didn’t take him out swiftly and decisively when they “could have”. Now I understand how easy it is to say yet so difficult to do.
Witness to a murder.Nuclear blackmail.Where is our bloated defense budget when we need it Use less. Brave Ukrainians will make up for our cowardice.
I hope that I will use all of my physical powers to help fend off this bully & take his gun away to help. How can I live with myself if I don’t?
The Ukrainians should thank God that their country is in Europe and not in Africa. The world pays little attention to African wars, even though they are just as bloody (or worst) than what is happening in Ukraine. Just ask the Ethiopians. Interesting article on the war in Ukraine by an African journalist : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60603232.
You creep into the bullies house and slit his throat
Putin is already successfully using his nuclear arsenal without any detonations. He is using it to intimidate the NATO into noninterference with his aggressive behavior. He moves with impunity against Ukraine while NATO demurs and withholds jets from Poland because the move might upset Putin. He's got the world over a barrel, and he knows it.
Putin is giving the orders, but the generals and troops are doing the destruction. Where are they getting their food? They need fuel. Cut off their supply lines, hack their computers. They need communications. Hack their coms. They need food. They need water. They need air. Cut off their supplies.
Germany annexed Czechoslovakia; we did nothing.
Germany invaded Poland, we did nothing, but England declared war and got Dunkirk.
Germany invaded a host of other countries, and we did nothing.
Germany declares war on the USA and we did nothing but "lend lease" for another 2 years.
When our military was finally ready, we went in on June 6, 1944 and if we did not have allies, would not have won. If Japan had not bombed Pearl Harbor, we may be looking at Europe today being under NAZI control. A "no Fly Zone" over Western Ukraine for humanitarian purposes and declaring it a Demilitarized Zone for all others other than UN forces run by NATO just like we had over Iraq, will not start World War 3 because our intentions will be made clear. No accidents, just counter force to give the Ukranian people a safe haven while the war rages and to allow the Ukrainian government a place to retreat to, so they will not be taken out and shot, while the United Nations decides what to do with the bully. Let the Russians know that if they take over Ukraine, then Ukraine will have the same sanctions as Russia and will not be able to sell the Ukrainian crops outside of Russia. They will have to re-build the cities alone without international help and they will inherit a broken economy and country.
Though I usually agree completely with the writings of Dr. Reich , and his motivation is unquestionable, this allegory represents a completely naive misunderstanding of international politics. I was forced to subscribe in order to make this comment , but have been totally surprised the lack of intelligence displayed by the well meaning commentators who are willing to sacrifice the people of Ukraine , and a nuclear third world war for an ideological power struggle between Russia and the US , in the form of NATO. The more money and weapons provided to the recent government of Ukraine, the longer the conflict will last, and the more people will die. The understanding of the interests and motivation of Russia, and a negotiated settlement is the only way left to end this conflict. Imagine the US response if a socialist/communist government would be elected in Mexico , and they would invite an alliance of Russia, China, Iran , and North Korea to place troops and nuclear weapons in Juarez , Tijuana, and all along Trump's border wall. Kennedy was and is praised for being willing to risk a nuclear war to prevent Russia from installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. Putin probably imagines himself in that tradition. The concept of Evil is a religious invention, which refuses to understand the interests and motivation of ones enemies . The science of conflict resolution is needed much more than the red badge of courage.
Along with others in overwhelming force you act against the bully. You either put the bully in jail or you beat him up so badly that he gives up his bully behavior. This is what NATO should do with Putin. It should use the least amount of force, in stepwise fashion, to defeat the invading Russian forces and/or influence Putin to withdraw. A no-fly zone, already requested by Zelenky, would be a good start. Of course, there is some risk that Putin will use nukes, and then NATO will need to use nukes in a proportional response, but some things are worth fighting for and dying for. The community of nations (UN or NATO) must protect national sovereignty, democracy, and the lives of persons. The bully must be brought down.
Clearly this is what nuclear blackmail looks like. It’s harder and harder to see an off-ramp to this atrocity. I had some sympathy with the voices that NATO went too far but how could we not include Poland and the Baltics? The true nature of Putin was revealed in 4 wars leading up to the present. I am bracing myself for a horrific week.
I might get my ears boxed with what I say here. No, we should NOT stand by and watch the slaughter of human life. Sanctity of life is one of the attributes that differentiate us from the predators in wildlife. We don't eat our young nor the young of others. Smerconish, who airs on CNN Saturday mornings, presents a question for a vote from his viewers at the end of the show. In the last three weeks, he's asked questions circling the one you asked. This week concerned whether we should help with a 'no fly zone.' (I think.) ALL three weeks received an overwhelming 90% (32,000 plus viewers) YES for the U.S. to stand up to Russia. I feel we are cowards. That is not our DNA. (We can debate the other side of that at another time.) I wrote a blog yesterday and was amazed that Republicans and Democrats alike wrote to me questioning their own resolve: Can I watch this daily slaughter and allow the bully to continue? Robert, do you think Putin will stop with the Ukraine? We need to send the WORLD-OF-BULLIES a message: Don't mess with human rights. Don't kill children. Do not do it for 'we the people' will protect the innocent, provide justice where injustice exists, and not allow 'man's inhumanity to man.' We said, "Never again." Yet we stand on our shores at a distance. We've seen bodies rolled into ditches. Is this not a reminder to those who remember, who should remember of Hitler's death camps? No, the U.S. needs to act and call the bully's bluff. All bullies are consumed with an arrogance of weakness. Call his bluff and by so doing we also send a message to other powers of the world: Do not, do not think of dehumanizing a people, denigrate their dignity, destroy their land, and take away their freedom.
Obviously, there is only one thing to do: You pull out your phone, videotape the bully's ruthlessness and threaten to post it online if he doesn't stop. Because the bully, like you, is so filled with rage from an unjust, exploitative system that profits off of making life harder for him and his family that he'll even lash out at kids, at anyone and anything that will allow him to feel slightly powerful and in control of his constantly-spinning world, even if only for a moment. He is so overcome with anger at the endless grind and its inhuman obstacles that the only threat that breaks through the adrenaline-fueled fury is a video that, if seen by his employer, could mean the end of his paycheck and his ability to keep his family indoors during this brutal winter, and the end of the health insurance that keeps the life-saving treatments coming for his wife. And so, even when away from work, he realizes there is nowhere he can go where financial incarceration and despair do not define who he is, what he can be, and how he can act, for as cruel as he can be, nothing is as relentless and unforgiving as the American economy.
Your allegory is perfect; but there is no ending to it. How, in the name of God, does this end?
I would do precisely what the Biden administration is doing. Barring reckless actions that could result in everyone’s demise, I would use every available means to intensify the kid’s ability to defend him or herself while also attempting to disrupt the bully’s ability to continue assaulting the kid.
Given the odds, I imagine, at best, I conceivably could engineer conditions whereby each kid would be just strong enough never to lose and just weak enough never to win.
CNN is doing excellent reporting and is planning the next hero award show sponsored by Big Pharma the healing industry for everything we tell you you should be worried about.
I was always flabbergasted that Western powers tried desperately to appease Hitler, that they didn’t take him out swiftly and decisively when they “could have”. Now I understand how easy it is to say yet so difficult to do.