Here We Go
Well, the second worst-case scenario is now a reality. Russia has invaded Ukraine with an aim to demilitarize the country and either take it over or insert a puppet regime. In the early morning hours (Ukraine time) Russia started using missile attacks to destroy much of Ukraine’s military infrastructure. This included airports, bases, and other defensive positions. The invasion has been swift — akin to Germany’s blitzkrieg attacks during WW2. Here’s where they’ve been invading:
The New York Times
Seems like 3/4 of the country has been surrounded and invaded. There have also been substantial troop movements within Belarus, leading people to think that another wave of the invasion will come from there if it hasn’t already.
Russia is claiming that they are peacekeepers, coming to rescue ethnic Russians from a genocide, the evidence of which they have not provided nor exists. It is, of course, a total lie but Russia has shown itself to not care about such things. They will say whatever they want and then do whatever they want, oftentimes the opposite of each other.
At home, the United States is faced with some tough decisions to make. Biden has promised not to send any US forces to Ukraine but he may not have a choice. If Putin were to attack any NATO countries then Biden would be forced to back that country up. Putin may be shrewd enough to know that avoiding that outcome is in his best interest. Or, getting into a war with America and NATO could also be exactly what he wants. If the US were to allow Putin to invade another country and essentially take it over, what kind of message does that send him? Not a great one. However, getting bogged into another foreign conflict that doesn’t really have much to do with us isn’t a good solution either. Sanctions can only do so much and Putin is prepared.
Russia has more than half a TRILLION dollars stashed away to help offset any sanctions the world imposes upon them. They also have one of the world’s most advanced cyber attack squads ready to unleash chaos across the world. It has been known for some time that Russian malware and other computer bugs have managed to worm their way into many networks across the globe. Activating hundreds or thousands of computer viruses could disrupt economies, energy grids, and other vital infrastructures in the US and elsewhere. Putin knows exactly how long he can wait the sanctions out. He hopes to have captured the country (and maybe more) before it starts to hurt at home.
You would think that the prospect of WW3 breaking out would be enough to unite Americans. Nope. In fact, it seems like the opposite is happening. The flag-humping, troop-loving, All-American Patriot Party has been using this terrible loss of life to attack Democrats and Joe Biden. I guess all that talk about the Red, White, and Blue was about the Russian flag and not Old Glory.
Trump, for his part, has never made it secret how much he admires dictators like Putin. He’s an unpopular bully with a failed presidency under his belt so naturally, he would gravitate towards violence and a fascist rule of law. In democracies, that’s the only way for unpopular ideas to be enforced. He’s loved him since before he was even elected:
You would think that 4 years of having access to top intelligence reports would have tempered his enthusiasm for Putin. But no. It seems that his love of the autocratic madman has only grown. Here’s a clip of Trump a few days before the invasion calling Putin — who wants to see Americans die and our nation fall — a genius, among other compliments. He isn’t alone. Other Republicans have also sided with our enemy.
As Ukraine was being invaded, Trump was giving another speech at his little golf club in Florida. Did he condemn the actions? Did he call out Putin for invading a sovereign country without provocation? LOL. Nah. He praised him and in doing so gave up what really motivates him and most Republicans.
It doesn’t matter that hundreds of Ukrainians might die. It doesn’t matter that thousands of Russians will be impacted by that “$2 worth of sanctions”. Forget that Putin has alienated himself from the international community and laid bare his own economy. All that matters is the pretense of power, of strength, no matter the costs. This is what fascists like Trump crave, it is all they desire because it enables them to remain in power. And Trump, never one to let his own ignorance stop him from shooting off his mouth, went on Laura Ingraham’s White Power Hour to show us all how truly clueless he is.
To recap, that’s a former US President praising our sworn enemy as a genius while undermining our own government and allies. Simply incredible. Can you imagine if a Democrat did something like this? There wouldn’t be enough flags for the GOP to hump and beat them with. What do you think their reaction to Obama saying that MBS was a genius and smarter than Americans? Think we might hear more of those “Obama’s a secret Muslim” stories?
Now is not the time for in-fighting. If Republicans were truly patriotic, they would pause their partisan nonsense and get behind the President. We may be on the cusp of another World War, one that might involve nuclear weapons. Things could very easily go sideways for us. Our economy will suffer because of the sanctions on Russia. How much depends upon what the GOP is willing to help pass in the form of relief. Unless you haven’t been paying attention for the last 30 years, I am willing to bet it will be zip, zero, zilch. Republicans have always shown a willingness to let Americans suffer in order to gain power and have neat little talking points for the propaganda networks to broadcast.
I don’t know what will come of this. Will America soon be sucked into another war without a clear goal other than to bomb the other guys? Will we soon be practicing nuclear fallout drills in school alongside our active shooter ones? Will we watch as Putin steals country after country and feel powerless to stop him? No one can say for sure. What I do know is that the Republicans will use mass death and violence to bludgeon the Democrats and Americans will be ignorant enough to lap it up.
Here we go again.