"I'M NOT HIDING."

  So stated a hero, a man who stepped up to the plate, who refuses to give in to terror, to a Russian juggernaut complete with barbaric methodology which threatens to swallow his country in its entirety. He continued "And I'm not afraid of anyone. I stay here. I stay in Kyiv. On Bankova Street." Moreover, his wife and two children remain in the country, turning down all offers of safety elsewhere.

His wife, a beautiful woman who does not resort to shocking tactics, is as brave. She has fought for women's rights in an area which had denied them that for generations and continues to have great need of change and opportunity and safety for women. Ukraine stands as a role model for the nearby countries who continue to have shocking records with women, especially with trafficking. Her attitude and philosophy are wonderful - "I became convinced that making positive changes is real, you just have to sincerely crave something, and work hard," " Another role model.

On the other hand, we have a man such as Putin who cares for nothing, who wages a scorched earth policy, this time on his opponents whom he attacked, and refused to come to the table unless all is forgiven, and all his supposed aims are met. Uh, not going to happen, so when someone who should know better cavalierly proposes a three-step approach to peace, I have no idea what that person was thinking about.

"First, fight Putin's army and negotiate with him at the same time.

 Second, discreet contacts need to be established with the Russian leader.

Third, these interlocutors need to offer Putin a structured choice"

Uh huh, words are nice; however, this presumes that one is negotiating with a sane and willing partner. That is certainly not the case here. Negotiations, when the demand prior to them is that he gets it all, well, not really negotiations are they. Certainly, we must not, most emphatically not, sell Ukraine down the river. Because we have a clever lunatic facing us, defying all humanity, endangering the very continued existence of habitation on this earth and indeed, a habitable planet, we must be extra careful. How does one negotiate with a mad autocrat dreaming of power and kingdom? Beats me, for again, bullies need and understand force. Period.

With a different former President, one who did not kowtow to Putin, or boast of his bromance with him, with Xi Jinping, with Kim, well, Ukraine would have been armed and prepared. But Trump did the exact opposite of what was necessary, leaving Biden to unite the fractured allies once again, bring in even more, but the problem remained. Goodwill on the part of sympathizing countries and industrial figures does not an army make, not a fighting one, and certainly not a properly armed one.

As valiant as they are, as determined to fight to the last man, woman and child, reality must be set in place. How are we to remedy the problem- arming Ukraine with planes or actions by us to counter the slaughter of Ukrainians via the Russian air force and their missiles along with the weapons of the rest of the invading army. Used callously, without regard for anyone, including the use of thermobaric missiles meshed with threats of nuclear weapons as well. 

This is a situation where we come from behind. I wonder if we can catch up, in time, energy, will, and weaponry - along with wisdom and guts to solve this problem once and for all.  Certainly, we must take Putin and his top advisers to the International Court and charge them with war crimes, crimes against humanity, punish accordingly, and set an example for the rest of the wannabe dictators and violators of world peace.

As for the most evil accusation of accusing Ukraine of Nazis in power, not now, certainly not, with a Jewish president and other officials. Here is what Zelenskyy had to say in 2020. Most definitely one not to welcome Nazis to his country. Not on his watch.

 " ...he had one more story “about a family of four brothers. Three of them, their parents and their families became victims of the Holocaust. All of them were shot by German occupiers who invaded Ukraine,”. “The fourth brother survived. … Two years after the war, he had a son, and in 31 years, he had a grandson. In 40 more years, that grandson became president, and he is standing before you today.”

Once again, is there not one single person out there who can do what is necessary, who can unite the world in an effective manner, who can remove Putin and his nefarious goals from the picture, prevent future ugly pictures such as this one? Anyone? There must be. Lest we are all lost. We are so close to pulverization, closer than we have ever been since October 27, 1962, when JFK faced up to Khrushchev and faced him down.

We certainly do need that hero, front and center. However, I fear we have no success in that arena. The one who might do it, cannot, given his position as defender of his country, the violated one, Ukraine. Unless we boldly back him up and back Putin down. Will we? Can we? Time will tell, but time is no ally to the present situation. Not at all.