PUT UP OR SHUT UP

  There is a limited duration of time that one can sit on a fence. It begins to bite and the ache spreads. The body begins to wilt and in a growing desperate need for relief begins to cave. The determination to sit on that fence weakens. Worse, that fence sitter falls to one side, the wrong side, that which will forbid any more fence sitters from future existence. Only with a sheer determination to avoid that situation, that bleak future, can the fence sitter, in a most precarious situation, pull back, and lean to the other side, the proper side, the one with acceptance of responsibilities. The one which stresses the brotherhood and unity of humanity. The one with a hope for a future. Period.

So "Choose!" Zelensky says, addressing the Russian soldiers now invading his country. Choose between life and death. Between right and wrong. Choose for your souls is the message sent to the rest of the world. Choose where you are and where you will be - and where you need to be, should be, must be. Choose for your life, the life of your nation. Despite all the denials, "This is not my war," -it actually is. The damned truth. Recognize that. See the truth. It is right there. Like it or not.

After 19 days of catastrophic loss and immeasurable destruction, war waged on civilians, the war continues, a war which should never have been, yet existed long before this. It began with Georgia, Chechnya, Moldova. With statements stressing that Ukraine was actually a 'natural' part of Russia. With constant incursions, testing the resolve of NATO. Tests they failed.

 "Responsibility for war crimes of the Russian military is inevitable,"

 Yes, there will be judgements - maybe - but those judgments and responsibilities also fall upon the shoulders of those who remained silent. Those who allowed this entire mess to even exist, to allow its possibility to morph into probability and ultimately into excruciating reality. That my friends are us. Most assuredly, actually, shamefully so. Denial is futile for truth will always out, sooner or later, denials useless against the judgements of history.

Presently, this war is being fought as a DIY war - do it yourself, literally and figuratively. Ukrainians grab whatever they can find, including the trophies of bitter fighting - Russian equipment left behind. How fitting. But that is not enough, certainly not if Ukraine is to remain upright, perhaps bent a bit, but still, erect enough to continue a brutal fight against ravaging invaders. The question remains though -for how much longer. The bravery of Zelensky and his family, particularly in light of the kidnaping of a mayor of a captured city, the heroism of an elderly couple defying a group of invading armed Russian soldiers, the desperate defiance of civilians against the brutality of the Russian army, and the reality of an invading army lacking food and shelter, proper clothing, seeking all that within the civilian realm. Not enough. Not nearly enough.

At present we are cynically playing the Cold War game, war by proxy, at least on one side of this conflict. We reassure ourselves that we are avoiding WWIII. But we are deluding ourselves. WWIII has already begun. It was in play as Russia invaded other countries, ripping off pieces of them. It continued in 2014 with the Crimea invasion and annexation. The world? Stood still. Remained silent. Result? Ukraine. No, we need not fear igniting WWIII for it has already been lit. There is no way on this beleaguered world of ours to deny the interconnectivity of nations. All attempts to isolate a country fail, sooner or later. Time is the ultimate enemy; thus, autocrats, power crazed, desiring more, always more, do as much as they can during their period of strength. Only a strong denial, an adamant stand against their incursions will do the trick. Grossly missing.

We need a realistic approach. Okay, no boots on the ground, but arm and equip the Ukrainians with offensive weapons, not merely defensive. Defense most often fails. Pure and simple. Open resistance and power to resist comes only via offense and appropriate arms. Shivering in our shoes, refusing to send planes, is for naught, other than assuring Russia of victory when Ukraine is exhausted, reduced to rubble, bereft of a huge portion of its population, along with Russians fleeing their country and its increasingly paranoid world. 

The inevitable result? More incursions, for Russia knows that NATO will not resist, even as he tests them again, edging ever closer to their borders, even as he will roll into Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia and on and on until there will be no resistance possible, only a resigned shrug and a false self - congratulatory, "Well, we avoided a WWIII." No, we did not. No, we will not. Not this way. Always speak from a position of strength and power. We have ceded that, given it up. Much to the detriment of all.

"What if they come to your land next?"

That is a question posed by a besieged Ukrainian in Kyiv, there to take care of elderly parents. Sadly, others cannot survive as they are attacked. The pregnant, in labor woman in a bombed maternity hospital, with crushed pelvis and detached hip, who begged the doctors to kill her when she learned the baby was dead, well, G-d granted her that wish a half hour later. Is that what we will allow to continue? 

Read that question again. Tyranny does not willingly stop in its tracks. It does not collapse of its own will. It gathers as much as it can before an inevitable fall and vigorous opposition, though the intervening period wreaks havoc on humanity. Read the question again and think, hard and long. Realistically, not wishfully. How do we prevent that? Think again. 

I add and leave you with this heartfelt plea from the brave wife of a brave man - the Zelenskys.

    STOP WAR

SILENCE

  For a very long time we have been warned, over and over again that all it takes for evil to succeed is for the 'good' to remain silent. Silence is an acquiescence to evil, empowering it, enabling it to gain momentum far more than it would have otherwise. Excuses for it and its errors further blind the already non - seeing and harden the hearing of others. So why do we insist on keeping to the policy of silence? Why do we not seem to understand that by that silence, by that wishy-washy behavior we are giving aid and succor to the enemy, directly opposing what is right, even though it be dangerous to do so. It seems we have yet to learn the lessons of the past - appeasement is useless, a deferment of decisions that should have been made long ago, and a useless supposed impediment to the success of the evildoer. It simply does not work. Never will, as it simply highlights the weakness of those who are supposed to stand for right, for justice, for fair play, for freedom rather than oppression and murder.

Perhaps I am naive, though I do not think so. It does not take a genius to understand the world situation, the muck in which we are mired without a simple branch to cling to - not unless we 'man' up and do the right thing. Not unless we understand and internalize the debt we owe to present and future populations. Not unless we understand that by postponing decisions, taking decisive, clear actions, on this horrific state of affairs, we are dangerously delaying attention and repair to other existential concerns, in particular, the environment. Even as the environment turns on us, giving us 100 - and 500 - year events at the drop of a hat. Even though more of the world is turning uninhabitable, much of it due to our foolish, unthinking behavior. Even now, we are watching the destruction of the 'breadbasket ' of Europe, looking at hunger, starvation, on a scale beond any we have seen before, not one country, but many, many, more than thought feasible before. WE are introducing serious, perhaps unrepairable snags in the chain of exchanges necessary if the agricultural and food supplies of the world are to be sufficient. Not at the present rate. Just ask Brazil as it tries to manage its agricultural import and export needs. We simply forget to see the bigger picture, the one that grows alarmingly, in the wrong direction, all because we refuse to see what must be done and NOW. 

Yes, it is a most dangerous step to involve ourselves in this war. After all, some say, it is in Europe, in Eastern Europe, simply a continuation of their eternal conflicts in search of land and power. But it is not so. There are no barriers now to global involvement. There are no natural barriers which would inhibit its spread. None. The world is so tied together that the power of the butterfly and its wings are magnified, multiplied almost to infinity, or should I say, extinction? Whether we 'interfere' or not in this ghastly, evil invasion of Ukraine by a brutal and barbarous Russian force, I sincerely believe the outcome will be the same. Unless we stand up to this man, this international bully, call his bluff, and be prepared lest he never come to his senses. There is nothing in his twisted mind, soul, and background that would stop him.

Silence to the murder of civilians. Silence to the brutal 'rubberlizing' of an entire country. Silence to the ever nearing in your face approach of Russian bombing, including the one yesterday at the very hub of cooperation between Ukraine and 'allies'.. Thumbing a nose because Putin knows he has them cowed, deluded in their thinking that silence is the best way. It is not. 

Less than a century ago the world stood silent as it allowed the Nazi armies to flow into Sudetenland. It allowed further absorption of other pieces of land. Finally, Poland was invaded under a pretext that Putin was set to imitate. He already has followed the plot as he, too, annexed land, piece after piece, imposed Russian control over the puppets in government. Now the Ukraine and after? A plethora of riches for Putin - Finland and Sweden are not in NATO. Neither is Moldova, right on the border with Ukraine. The other two countries offer riches, thriving economies and much land. And then what? Back to the three Baltic Republics? Where does it end? Or is it nonsense to think that it ever does.

The world continued to be silent, a thunderous silence, allowing for the brutalization of enemy populations, and the scientifically planned, obsessive, insane, yet almost successful to completion, of the annihilation of the entire Jewish nation off the face of this earth. Silence does not help anyone. It never has. Silence in the face of a bully is asking for defeat. Are we willing to accept that defeat again? Are we to remain in silence as we tsk tsk at the horrific scenes of brutal murder and mayhem? When Israel in its defense, after exorbitant efforts to warn people of imminent shelling of military targets, to get out, but a civilian remains, the world shrieks, throw ashes on their heads and dons sackcloth. Where are those ashes now? Where is the public dismay and concern? Nowhere officially nor in reality. The continued silence will not work if the plan is to stop that man in his tracks. Not when the bully of Chechnya threatens to aid the Russians with his even more barbaric and brutal soldiers. 

So where are the allies of Ukraine? Standing behind fake, made-up lines on a map, on signatures on a piece of paper? That paper, those lines are ignored, despised by Putin and he will roll right over them. Indeed, he has already done so.

In yesterday's video an elderly couple chased out  armed soldiers of the Russian force who had broken open the gate to their home. They stood up to them, these two tiny people, armed with nothing but a determination to protect home and hearth and if it meant taking to task these soldiers, actually pushing them out, then so be it.Why can we not emulate these brave souls? Why are we silent in the face of invaders of our home and hearth. Do not remain blind and deaf to reality. Ukraine is indeed part of our home and hearth. There is no avoiding it. Not in today's interconnected reality. Wake up, world. Silence is the tool of the enemy, of the worst among us. Silence is to aid them. Silence never turns out right. Never. I truly wish we had learned that already, taken it to heart. I indeed despair at our willful stupidity and denial of reality and its truth.

NO ONE WANTS TO DIE

  Simple, yet profound, as it emerges from the mouth of a kid, just out of high school as he awaits transportation to the front. His training? Three days. His motivation? "We just have to stop them here" as he continues, with the warning that if the Russians get to Kyiv, the war is over. At least the open war, for the Ukrainians are determined to never give up, to continue fighting, an insurgency that will drain Russia. And kill more people, all the while the country is reduced to rubble a la Aleppo. A scorched earth policy that Russia has applied to its war against non-enemies! A war based on sheer maniacal egotism of Putin, of a deranged man out to swallow up the world, piece by piece, until Russian hegemony prevails in a once upon kingdom.

"Limited but notable" is the 'progress' made by Russian troops as the invasion continues. What is limited in this case? The death of civilians fleeing to safety as the Russians rain down artillery into their homes, their schools, their hospitals? As town after town is obliterated in this mad war? Notable? The destruction of a country that two and a half weeks ago was a modern, thriving, optimistic democracy? What is limited and what is notable? The answers are equally as confusing as the questions. As equally confusing as to why, why on earth, do the nations of the world stand by and do nothing?!

Oh, the shipments of arms appear to be increasing but that is manifestly too little too late. There must be paths to get these arms to the troops and there must be troops available to use them!! Simple, but true. How many more men and women, children, have to die before Ukraine crumbles in upon itself, reverts to being a captive nation, bereft of soul and heart, of citizens, of freedom, as it falls beneath the heavy foot of Russia once again. We need not even send in the proverbial 'boots on the ground', merely deliver planes, or institute a no fly zone, call Putin's bluff. I believe he would back down if so challenged, for to do otherwise would be for his dictatorship to fall by the wayside as the Russians themselves would not stand for another war of such similarity and length , draining the  nation of its young. Never underestimate the power of enraged mothers. Never!

Meanwhile, our country continues to roil in its own juices. The GOP decides maybe it does not want Trump to be its logo, but it makes no never mind, for the alternates and alternatives are not really alternates. They are merely a repackaging of the same crap - the hatred, the dissing of the people and their needs, their push to reduce rights, reduce voting by opponents, ignoring blatant crimes, even unto treason as it discomforts them, would reveal the truth of the rot that eats away at the GOP from within. Even as they grow bolder and bolder in their vindictive campaign to reduce the right of people over their own bodies. The threats of citizen interference in the right to choose, is a most threatening action. Simply extend its theory and practice to all else that displease the troglodytes of Texas. Yes, indeed, everything is larger than life in Texas, including the attempts to destroy all who disagree with their benighted views, even unto barring a trip to another state. Folks, that is most definitely NOT democracy. This turn of events and attitude will turn around and bite you as well. There is no escape from tyranny and oppression for the lash falls on all. All.

What have we come to when we find that our very intelligence agencies, meant to uncover threats to the nation, are themselves a threat to the nation? Open treason revealed, blatant hatred and bias, open support of those who planned and took part in J6. Unthinkable, yet there it is. Why should we even be shocked by this news when we have open traitors, open white supremacists within the highest branch of the legislative aspect of government. Why should we even be hopeful when these ignorant, hateful enemies of democracy stand  openly, proudly, with white supremacists, advocate murder, advocate the overthrow of the government.  They all need to be locked up, to be prosecuted, up to and including Trump et al. If it involves some violence on the part of these deluded and dangerous people, then so be it, for in any case, there will be bloodshed, one way or another, in this severely  divided country. One state even took a vote to secede from the nation  and no, not southern. In fact try moving north, all the way!

Finally, what am I to think, to feel, when AIPAC, heretofore a moderate organization, definite supporter of Israel, turns its back on this country. How? By endorsing open white supremacists, bigots who have endorsed the 'replacement theory';  chanted and cheered with these crude people, the dregs of society - so classified not due to money but because of their views.

Jim Jordan. Ronny Jackson. Scott Perry. Elise Stefanick. 37 Republicans who stood and continue to stand with Trump and his delusion of victory in the election of 2020. Kevn McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, tweeted about three 'Jewish' billionaires who 'bought' the election!!

This support of enemies of the Jewish people is not the supposed support Israel needs. It is the equivalent of Eichmann and his Jewish Bureau. No more, no less. Equally as dangerous. Make no mistake about it. It is collusion with the enemy. It is, as Abraham Foxman states, “Those who undermine America‘s democracy undermine America, and a weak America will not be able to stand and support its ally Israel.”  .There is no other way. I disavow this most harmful, evil choice that a segment of AIPAC has chosen. Most definitely so.

This is a most threatening time for Jewry round the world. The reports of anti - Semitic acts grow by leaps and bounds. Armed guards in Europe and here in America - in synagogues and Jewish schools and institutions. When talk is of the oligarchs of Russia, it 'just' seems to be the Jewish ones that are consistently named, used as examples, while the rest simply skate on by. Why is that? Because the Jew is always situated to be the scapegoat. Mark my words, when sure as shootin' within a short time, people will accuse the Jewish oligarchs of Russia and the Jewish president Zelensky of collusion, of an evil Jewish plot. Henry Ford will be smiling in his grave. There it will be, in the open, after being whispered about. No. When the world is at unrest, the Jewish nation must be alert and careful, very careful.

"Your anger and damage and grief are the way to the truth." (Anne Lamott)

G-d knows that we have had sufficient of those things and are entitled to the truth. 

One day, one day.

 

"WHAT IS LIKE ..."

  "What is like free." So asked a group of Ukrainian farmers way back in 1991 according to Sen. Ernst. All they wanted to know was what did it mean to be free, to be independent, to be able to develop plans and chase dreams without fear of governmental repression and oppression. 

Why or how did this statement come our way? Because at least there are some remaining few GOP members who can still see the truth behind the obfuscating fog of mis and dis information, all the attempts to impose upon us the same type of false democracy to be found in too many countries, including Russia!

The object or target of this anecdotal tidbit was Madison Cawthorn, the oh so obvious criminal, moral pervert, who continues to remain in office, allowed to run, despite his criminal ties and behavior. Who called Zelensky a thug!!!Unreal! "What is like" indeed! What is like if we could find ourselves back in a country of law and order bracketed on all sides by fair behavior, by attempts to address unfair practices, to truly watch over our democracy, the expected - but not the norm any longer - behavior of governmental figures. 

"What is like" to find ourselves in a surreal situation wherein we watch every night, every day, no matter the hour, the devastation that is now Ukraine, a land where all the citizens wanted was to know and live "what is like free." To be free of domination by Russia, free to live as Ukrainians, not as 'pressed' Russians, captured off their ship of state as were American sailors pressed into service in the British Navy, one of the reasons underlying the War of 1812. Actually, the American Revolution Part II, as Britain finally realized that no, the 'colonies' were no longer - they were American, the United States of America. Short and sweet, music to our ears. We knew the answer, fought for the answer of "What is like free".

Now we need to ask and answer once again - "what is like free', to stand by and watch a county, an entire country, with millions of citizens, be bombed into dust and stand by and do nothing!! What is like to hear a knowledgeable person state, in response to a question about possible use of chemical or biological weapons by Russia against Ukraine, that as difficult as it would be, as much as "it pulled our heartstrings' - we have to do nothing!!!!!Now we need another answer to "what is like". What is it like for our decision makers to write off a country and its people?

Yes, I know we have just authorized billions in aid to Ukraine. But c'mon! It has to get there, and that takes time. It is worthless if it does not arrive in time and if it is not what is needed - like airplanes, like belief by enemies that there is might behind statements of NATO and other countries, rather than just a load of bombast and hot air. Exactly what we have now. To our shame.

Trump told his benighted adherents to "fight like hell"- an otherwise wonderful statement if the fight was for Democracy, for the country, for sanity, for unity, for justice. However, it was instigation to do the polar opposite. We need to take heart from the statement of Garland that ALL who committed criminal acts on J6 will be prosecuted. Hallelujah and amen! About time. I, and many others are tired of seeing Trump and his coterie of liars skate through and around the justice system. About time that he actually face the music and do the time. If only Garland will follow through. If only the GOP will restrain their worst members, their actual traitors to this country, along with dangerous idiots like Tucker Carlson who parrots Russia on a daily basis, who is our own modern day equivalent of "Tokyo Rose".

Back to "what is like" in relation to Ukraine. How do we sit there and play blind to the signs of destruction, of the 'rubblelizing' of an entire country? Do we actually believe that doing nothing will protect us? Will keep Putin out of our lives? Will not inflict violence upon us? Well, back to the sale of the bridges of Brooklyn!! Why would he stop at the border of Ukraine? Why would he not sate his possibly unsatiable appetite for conquest, for reestablishing the Russian Empire, with him as the new Tsar? Why? The answer is that we are being consciously and unconsciously blind to the truth, to the historical imperatives which teach us the standard paths and behaviors of tyrants. We continue to ignore the lessons that should have been taught and caught and continue on our merry ways, deaf to the cries of the wounded. Deaf to the weeping of the bereaved. Deaf to the plaintive pleas of people, just like us, wanting to know "what is like free". To live a life without the threat of existential extermination hanging on a fraying thread over their country?

Indeed, 'what is like free' for us to remember that tyrants, tyranny, its spread, is unstoppable, unless we stand up to it, call its bluff, and take on the consequences, for there would be. No NATO nation is free and clear of attack and able to be sure of continued national integrity. None. None of the non NATO nations, particularly in that area of the globe, or former SSRs, not a one of them, is free of concern, free of threat, free to always know, to retain faith in an answer to the question of "What is like free"? 

We here in America are blessed to know the answer to that question. We live that life. We know what it means to be free. Granted, we have those within us who would change that equation. Hopefully, we have enough who will resist the siren call of false guarantees, of appeals to the basest parts of our thinking, the dirtiest emotions given vent. What is like? We know what is like and we had better remember to ensure its continued presence for us. 

A while ago I tripped on an almost invisible difference in height between one tile and another. Over I went. Brother! I heard that crack. I felt that crack. I knew I was not getting up alone from this one. No way. Sure enough, aid had to be called.   followed by a long period of healing and therapy. However, the damage was done. There is and always will be limited use of the arm. The ache is always there, will be there always, but further damage will be contained if I do right and make sure I remain upright and not fall upon my left arm and shoulder!

We, as a nation, need to do the same. We have broken some bones in our body politic these past years. Now we must make sure to stop that path, to watch our step, to do the right thing, to be brave and stand up to bullies, to know, deep down and for always, that we must maintain, keep in place, firm up weakened foundations. That will allow us to answer that question of 'what is like free' with a positive answer.

What is like if some within our government, some rampaging through our cities armed and crazed, if they had their way? You simply do not want to go there! Yet you, we, must, if we are to keep the negative answer out of the equation and persist in the true defense of democracy, and its existence, its possibilities available to and for all. What is like to live in a world like that? Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Would that we actually achieve it. Would that we remember appeasement to the wrong, the dark side, to the Darth Vader impulse within us does not work!! It does not. And the harm that will descend upon us if we do not do the right thing is beyond comprehension.

Our cities as piles of rubble. Our parents wailing over the bodies of their children. Our elderly parents, deserted, left alone to survive in a strange new world. Our children left as orphans, to live as prisoners of evil. It happened in Chechnya. It happened in Syria, in Aleppo. It is happening in Ukraine. And it can, most manifestly so, happen in NYC or Boston or Miami or LA or Topeka or any number of small towns and farming areas. No one and nothing are immune to tyranny and its gluttonous appetite. No one. Not even us.

What is like free? Formulate your thoughts and answer - truthfully, honestly, and see if you like it.

What is like free? Well, you tell me and the rest of the world.

OH ALEXANDER, WE SURE TOPPED YOU!

  Are your heads spinning now, wondering who the heck is Alexander and where is his place in the world? What has happened to him and how have we topped him? Well, Alexander is he of the worst, terrible, most awful day of literary fame. He is the child whose misadventures of a most awful day reassure kids that other kids have had 'horrocious' days, just like them, and they made it through - as  will they. Well, folks, have we got Alex beat ten ways to Sunday.

Every morning when I check the news of overnight  events, I think of our national anthem wherein we sing of that "star spangled banner" yet waving, signaling that we have not yet been defeated, that we remain to carry on and will do so, no matter the barrage of rockets thrown at us and the resultant destruction. Now substitute the Ukrainian flag, the Ukrainian spirit and the unspeakable conditions they are living through. So now whose flag should we celebrate? Whose actions should we examine?

'Decapitation' was the plan of the madman, one which called for a blitzkrieg wherein the invasion of Ukraine would be successful in a lightning strike, a long desired outcome easily within grasping distance. Well, that did not happen. Instead, we have a war mired in senseless destruction, an outcome of tragedy, and a greatly changed world, no matter the 'final' results.

Over 13,000 Russian protesters arrested in Russia. How long can that be hidden? So many dead soldiers and how long can that be hidden from the parents, wives, children of these dead, wounded, and captured soldiers? For that matter, how long  can the Russian invaders tolerate a situation where their government simply throws them in as cannon fodder, not even bothering to make a fuss as to food and weather protection?

More important, how long can and will the world  stand by and allow the Ukrainians to stand and fall and die on the front lines of battle. For that matter, why the hell are we tolerating the gross war crimes perpetrated on the Ukrainian people. Not military objectives, but civilian horror is the war plan of these revised invasion plans and timetable. Beat the hell out of Ukraine for daring to resist. Destroy it all. Call the bluff on the weak NATO nations who apparently are afraid of their own shadows and have engaged in a useless replay of history and appeasement. Hitler lives again.

'She always had answers to all our questions, even the most stupid ones..." said about a civilian killed, along with her two children, by an indiscriminately shot Russian rocket. Into a civilian evacuation zone.  It remains for her soldier husband to return and bury his family, a task made impossible by the huge volumes of already murdered civilians awaiting burial. Man - made destruction and horror. Man- made in a world gone mad, where Mother Nature reflects this horror, this tragedy, those giving birth, the whole and the wounded in the overflowing hospitals and shelters of the country. As for the world, again, it falls short as we stand by and do nothing of real aid to a desperate, beleaguered people.

“Unfortunately, right now I see no future for my children in this country,”

A statement, of a Russian Jew who sees the cracks within the country where he resides, the hopelessness of a future there. The corollary question is whether there is indeed a future for any of our children? Anywhere.

Why have we allowed the world to deteriorate to such a point? Why have we allowed a madman to believe he could do this, set the world afire, defy the nations of the world and get away with it? Why are we doing nothing about it and no, giving candy to a starving child is not the answer. It requires a full - fledged campaign of meaningful dimensions and we are falling way short.  Tragically so.

Whether we stand by or send planes, Putin is liable to do anything he wants. We must take a chance. The man is mad enough to send mankind to perdition unless we call his bluff. Unless we meet him with force, the only  language he understands and respects.  Unless we show him our mailed fist, our determination to defeat him and his ilk who are trying to negatively reshape the world. Cast out democracy, a trend to be found tragically within our own country, supported by Trump and his ilk, and the worst of the worst, the extreme right wingers, the white supremacists, those who have already engaged in rebellion, who have infected the body politic with gangrenous pus and rot.

There are major cracks within the Russian invasion plans and rumblings among Russian people. Why not take the inspiration of the heroism of a nation led by a hero, and stand up to tyranny, to crimes against humanity? Why not? To do otherwise, or to do nothing, simply postpones the inevitable - further incursions into former SSRs, the further deterioration of a challenged humanity and earth. So what the hell! Alexander, you got nothin' on us! We got you beat!! Unfortunately, most unfortunately.

That blue and yellow flag still waves over a battered Kyiv. It is incumbent upon us to see that their flag and ours continue to wave over our countries. That will demand courage and resolve.

Do we have it within us to do so? Spin the coin and make your choice. Wonder what Alexander would advise?

THE ADVENT OF RANDOM

  What is the definition of random? We should definitely know that as it has become a preferred, almost overused term in the modern-day lexicon.

"made, done, happening, or chosen without method or conscious decision".

"an unknown, unspecified, or odd person"

The above meanings were what defined its usage. Then things changed. The younger generations picked up this word and began to use it indiscriminately, so much so that it has become a go to word, particularly when one desired not to be specific or pinned down to a specific answer. So, random it is.

 And random we will be today as we roam randomly around the world and then, for fun, see if you can make sense out of these randomly picked topics, varying in content and importance. But then again, who can truly define importance, for remember well the theory of the butterfly and the hurricane. (The butterfly wags its wings in one part of the world and through a series of events, apparently random, but not really, the end result is a hurricane on the other side of the world.") It might be fun - or depressing - to find a link between these randomly chosen topics. Maybe. Or perhaps it is merely my own quirks, choosing for me in random presentations of articles. You decide. If you can.

So, the first thing to pique my interest, (figures), is the most important random fact of today. We are now given notice - wait for it - that March 21 will mark the reintroduction of Free Cone Day at participating Dairy Queen outlets. Free ice cream. Does it get any better than that, for pick a random issue, then have an ice cream serving. Ahhh, so much better. Allows us to move on to the next random topic which piques my interest.

Actually, there is certainly a connection between random topics that now arise. Is it due to the world situation and temperament, or simply that this morning they caught my attention, one after the other, or were simply sitting in my brain, torturing my mind, for some time? Again, you decide and  then ask yourself does it really matter, random or not, as we evaluate the end results of their choice.

A Yale professor totes up the total of companies, American and International, who continue to maintain business ties with Russia despite the growing popular demands to get with the program  and boycott. No excuse accepted, no random reason tolerated. Hmm, so where does that place us in this moral, most uncomfortable situation when we make a deliberate, rather than random, choice?

Oh, but look here. An article instructing the reader what to do, how to prepare, for an evacuation or similar FEMA level catastrophe. Random? Maybe. Though perhaps it was the article re the list that reminded my inner mind about the ongoing tragedy of the evacuations and refugees in Ukraine. Or simply that it is and has been on my mind for lo these many a day. Random or not? Look at the definitions and decide. Does it matter?

Aha! Here is yet another random issue. I read that the best way to conduct business, to be a leader, is to control one's emotions. Do not make a priority of something which is actually not, because your emotions of the moment impel you to do so. Hmmm. Might be a good idea, as emotions often lead us to wrong conclusions and actions, not random at all, but to cut emotions out of the picture entirely? Nope. Cannot buy into that. Too cold for me. We are not automatons, thankfully so.

And on we continue on this trip of randomness.

Invasions seem to be on the mind. There is an expected one of spiders, not dangerous. but quite large, along with their oversize webs. Uh - uh. Not for me. I do not like spiders; they come in a close second to snakes. Nope, no invasion for me. and bang! Next topic that crosses my mind is another  invasion. Far more serious than the spider invasion - or is that really the case, for does not the spider one remind us of climate change, not in a good way - and all our fault. In the same way that humanity is at fault for the world situation today?

Was that connection random? One invasion led to thoughts of another? Leads to thoughts of a hero, one who uses his words well in his uneven fight with the Russian giant? Words that cause me much shame when the world stands by, does nothing actually, to save this country. No, sanctions will not do it. Threats, empty threats, will not do it. Only actions will do it. Call the bluff of Putin, send in desperately needed planes, which I randomly see that the USA turned down for fear of possible Putin anger and tantrum. Is it a risk, to bet on a sane action from a most demented man? Perhaps, but then again, do the Russian people want to continue under his heavy hand, or will that be the final straw to push them to oust him and his corrupt cronies, return to the spirit of Glasnost and this time, keep it going? Maybe.

Continuing the not so random train of thought, I read again the words of a brave man. He is willing  to talk of the two 'breakaway' provinces, to discuss NATO, that "alliance (is) afraid of controversial things, and confrontation with Russia," To satisfy Russia? No, but willing to talk. A sign of good faith would be for the Russians to stop shelling evacuation routes, civilian areas, and allow their people to hear the truth. Even as the presidential couple reminds the world that they will continue to fight, channeling the defiance  of Churchill when Britain was on the brink.

Two more articles caught my attention as well. A shameful story ongoing for so long, of clearly revealed evidence of a plot to attack this government of ours, oust it, kill participants, and install Trump as the Leader for Life. The Christian Right went right along with this, choosing homophobia, lies, corruption, over patriotism, loyalty, freedom, "The right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" - for all.

Where has the world wandered? Was it random, this crooked path, or was it incremental, developed in random events and choices without our notice or attention? Was that too random, or was it a choice, to turn away from the unpleasant, wish it away, like Peek a Boo games with little ones?

Whatever, it does not work. We must work, not randomly, but with conscious choice and understanding. We must know, admit, that Putin is liable to push that button simply 'because', simply random, and calling his bluff might actually be a positive step. Force, determination, not empty threats and gestures will do the trick. He cares for naught else - not Ukrainian refuges, nor Russian ones fleeing their country. 

He cares for one thing - how far can he push the world and when can he push again? We need to realize that, internalize that. We need to understand, that as Hitler, he will continue to swallow country after country, unless and until he is stopped dead in his tracks. One way or another. The sooner we realize that, understand that, accept the truth of that, the sooner this war will be over.

What is random and is there actually any true randomness defining our actions? On closer inspection will we recognize the threads that tie it all together? I choose the second. What appears to be random is not necessarily so. Examine your own thoughts and actions for a day, a week, and now what do you think? Interesting.

Simply random thoughts for your perusal. Or not.

Now, where is the closest Dairy Queen?

"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. 

AN INEVITABLE 'Z'

  Do you remember when 'Z' stood for good things, for right, for idealism, for heroism? Z was a slashed letter on a wall or on a piece of clothing worn by the villain. It stood for Zorro, a wealthy Don who was a secret hero, a champion of the oppressed, the needy, those seeking justice. Z stood for good things, for encouragement to all, that the actions of one person could indeed have an effect. Thus, we are all responsible to do the right thing, to make the right choice. Even when the choice is difficult. At least we continue to have a choice though I wonder for how much longer that will be.

Today, Z stands for the worst of humanity. It stands or represents oppression. It represents autocracy. It represents a cold and brutal approach to life, a go to hell attitude towards anyone standing in the way of some egotistical brute. It stands for people who are willing, perhaps even eager, in their mad world of delusion and twisted ambitions, to do their own 'cancel culture' in their rejection of any progress which has been made in the search for peace and cooperation among nations.

More specifically, Z stands for Putin. It stands for a victory of autocracy, of inhumanity, of war waged upon children, upon infrastructure that supports a population. It represents the crushing of all the good things in life. It represents hopelessness for those caught up in the brutality of it all, and for those of us who know we need to do more, to "step up to the plate' as expressed by the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN. And by the brave Zelensky who remains in Ukraine even as he admits fear as to his fate, knowledge of his fate, should he be captured by Russian forces.

Now, people of the earth, it is time to take a stand for to do otherwise is to invite in, open the door, to make room for their inevitable meaning of Z. It will stand for Zed, the end of it all, the end of the alphabet of humanity, certainly as we now know it, as we live it. Yes, it is not perfect. Man is not perfect. Recall that old but true adage that "to err is human". 

It has taken a 'l o n g' time for humanity to progress   and continues to have need for more. In the midst of war, one that should never have been, people give in to some of their basest emotions. Even as victims are crushed. Even as people are asked to make choices - take sides - for there is no neutrality in such a blatant violation of territorial integrity and the war crimes committed - with full intent - perpetrated, by Russian forces. By the commands of Putin, a man who is a threat of first degree to humanity and its continued existence upon the face of this earth. If indeed this earth, already so violated by us, will itself survive should an almost inevitable nuclear war be waged, initiated by Putin. Once that is set, once it begins, there is no turning back. It is all automated, and even as humanity lays dying, no human is needed anymore, for all the buttons will have been pushed as we destroy each other.

What is shocking is the whining. Those who feel they have been discriminated against. Perhaps so, perhaps they have a righteous complaint, but now is not the time to push for perfection. It is not the time. Now we have time only to concentrate on defeating this existential threat to humanity. There will be no stopping this bully unless we greet him with force, the only language a bully will grasp. We have learned, tragically, to the tune of millions upon millions of dead, that mad dictators know no bounds, respect no boundaries, and will continue on their destructive paths unless stopped. Cold.

Yet, here we are, involved in sanctions, sending arms to a country being destroyed, all the arms insufficient unless air cover is provided via a no-fly zone or via planes sent to Ukraine to defend itself in this combat between a David and a Goliath.

We must concentrate on that. Only that. Now is the time for humanity to unite, even as Putin threatens neighboring nations, knowing that the world will not tolerate further invasions. There is a treaty in place, and we know that only if Putin is convinced that the treaty will be honored will we finally have a chance to defeat him.

 As for the border snafus, and yes, there are, I am sure some of it arises out of prejudice; however, again, now is not the time. Certainly, if Jews can stand with Ukraine, a country which has a grossly negative and bloody history with its Jewish population, if Jews can put aside the past for the time being and be front and center in support of these heroic fighters trying to keep their country alive, then so can everyone else! There will be time to redress all grievances when victory is achieved, when Putin is on the receiving end of justice.

We can only hope and pray and fight for the right. We need to keep that Z as the sign for goodness and justice, rather than its new use as the symbol for evil and the worst of humanity. Z is for Zorro, not for Zed and the end.

NOT TO FORGET

 Hey, everyone, we need to remember some other things that are going on, some of which are most definitely connected to the horror that is now happening in Ukraine. There are reasons why Putin felt empowered to begin his war, certain he would achieve his aims, go on to the rest of his agenda, and get away with it all. And you know what? It appears that he was correct in his thinking.

You doubt my words, that last statement. His country is now isolated from the rest of the world. The economy is tanking. The ruble is worthless. Thousands of the citizens of Russia are themselves fleeing or protesting, braving almost certain arrest. The citizens of Ukraine, incredibly brave, will fight to the finish, not ceding without a long and bitter fight. So how can he be winning?

 Russia is making steady progress despite brave fighting and resistance by the Ukrainians. While his army, the software, the soldiers, are not performing up to par, his hardware, the shells, missiles and artillery take up the slack. A horrendous, criminal strategy of attacking civilians and infrastructure, decimating cities to the tune of Aleppo lookalikes. Worse, he has shelled and captured a nuclear reactor, the largest in Europe. Nor does he have any hesitancy at all to   threaten nuclear consequences should the West step in with boots on the ground and/or continue their sanctions.

Why is he so emboldened? Think back, not so long ago, continuing to the present and unfortunately, most probably into the future as well. The damage Trump has perpetrated on this country and indeed, the world, is beyond full comprehension, even unthinkable. Yet there it is. The dark shadow of the bromance of Trump and Putin threatens this country and the world, its very existence. Another bully, a proponent of autocracy, challenging democracy, a need for us to say no - and we do not! 

No, we have not really said no. Yes, we have sanctions in place, much of that due to Biden who convinced other countries of Putin's nefarious plans, of the silence, the acquiescence of China to those plans, and urged them to stand together on the side of democracy lest we are all lost. Well, we might yet be lost, for words, sanctions, are not enough. The juggernaut of Putin continues, for bullies only understand force, physical facts. In reality, we have done nothing that will stop this march to fulfill the bloated dreams of a wannabe Emperor.

We stand before Putin critically wounded with a weakened alliance of nations. The bizarre and criminal behavior of Trump and cohorts, the open coup he fomented, the true amount of rot within this country and the distrust of our former allies have all contributed to Putin thinking this was his moment to strike and so he did.

 Worst of all is the knowledge that this rot continues to grow with proponents of Trump and his dangerous egotism, his lies, continuing to believe and act upon those manifestly false dangerous conspiracy theories. Nothing will convince them otherwise, even the growing weight of proof exposing Trump's blatant complicity in the attack upon the integrity and continuity of this country.

Until we have restored sanity and trust to this country, I seriously doubt there will be enough backbone to halt Putin in his march to world hegemony and domination. With the economy improving, with great figures of job seekers, jobs available, and the falling rate of unemployment, we continue to harp on the inflation, a matter not truly within our hands or of our causation. We ignore the weakening of the pandemic due to heroic efforts by the government and first responders. Despite the crazed opposition of those who made mask mandates the equivalent of Hitler's treatment of Jews. I am personally offended beyond belief by that trivialization of the worst genocide in history. But that is the mindset of those who oppose democracy, who crave a dominant figure at the helm, who cannot see the harm that will befall all, including themselves.

Let us not forget that we have a long way to go to heal the wounds of Trump, of the pandemic, of friendship and trust between countries and among the people within those countries. All the words in the world will not save Ukraine despite all our hopes and admiration. Not unless we step up to the plate. Boots on the ground? No fly zones? Planes for the Ukrainians to defend themselves against the air power of Russia? Something, anything, that is more than words. Someone out there must have a good idea. One that will hopefully stop this bloodshed and not incur or allow for more. I truly hope so.

Not to forget that all is and are connected. Lines can be drawn, borders can be claimed, but the connections cross all lines and borders. Maybe that is where we need to start. Certainly, it is ironic that while we are so concerned about the national, political and territorial integrity of other nations, we are forgetting about our own. Look in the mirror, folks. See the nose on our own face.

THE BEGINNING? THE END OF THE BEGINNING? THE MIDDLE?

  I'm confused. Apparently, no one is in charge here. Opinions range from the beginning of WW3 (note the now approved notation of the G-d forbid event), to the beginning of the end of Putin, to the "end of the world" and to the beginning of a belated, very much so, awakening of the West to the true risks and terrors of Putin being ignored, in the hope that he will go away.

But bullies do not go away. They will simply rev up the level of threats, real and implied. At the signs of victory, the bully will amp up his efforts, expand his 'bullydom'. When ignored, bullies will continue on their path; they do not go away. They simply increase or raise the risks to the victim until that poor target cedes to him. Bullies only respond to force, for they are afraid of that, afraid of what others, if united, if strong, can do to him and his plans.

I know I have no power with which to shift the state of the world. I have no power to challenge this bully who until now has gotten his way. State after state has fallen to him, under his poorly disguised control of the reigning leader or swallowing it whole. From the 'Stans to piecemeal devouring of Ukraine to the threats to the Baltic Republics to the remaining Eastern European countries - all are in the circle of danger. All face this bully and until now no one fought back with any serious chance of success. On he merrily rolled, such a busy little ant as he restored, piece by piece, the hegemony of the former Soviet Union. Better yet, the Russian Empire, for who better suited to be crowned Tsar than .... well, you connect the dots.

Think that is too far to imagine? Not so, for look what he has already achieved. He has the rest of the world cowering. He has openly mourned the end of the Soviet Union and its kingdom. It took much effort upon the part of Biden to convince the shivering countries of Europe to stand together, to stand up to the bully. Words and threat to counter bullets. Not sure that always works. Furthermore, when the man began throwing around his words, of nuclear threats, well, the tiptoeing began again until the opinion of the people in the street, the pictures of the devastation, the destruction of a country which had been a mirror to others, emerged into the clear light of day. 

Sanctions grew and were enforced. The toys of oligarchs are being confiscated. Russians in the public eye who do not condemn Putin are condemning themselves to oblivion as they are barred from their professions. Sanctions are tough on the citizens of that sanctioned country, but perhaps this will serve as the impetus for the Russian people to rise up against this threat to the world, overthrow a government of oppression, built on lies and bubbles of hot air. Is it not time for them to do so? As they have done before? They share in the blame, for they traded their improved economic status for the unrest and trouble Putin caused in other areas of the world.

Just as the citizens of Germany accepted and cheered on Hitler, the people of Russia are as guilty as the Germans. The American people are also guilty for we elected a madman as President, a man who is now openly tied toa criminal conspiracy to overturn the legitimate government. All because he is a sore loser, an egotist who cannot accept truths and rejection. 

We continue to allow this, accept unacceptable behavior and statements from members of both Houses of Congress, from state officials running for higher rank. From the likes of one traitor working with Russians who has supporting members of his tainted and treasonous opinions and plans. Such as the recent conference of loony, dangerous extremists, including amongst their speakers and members our own representatives in DC. Those who agree with this man who states, "If I return to the U.S., it'll be on a Russian tank to liberate the U.S. just like what we're doing here,". 

 So where are we? The beginning? The middle? The end? The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? Do these terms actually matter unless backed by firm responses, nose to nose, for bullies will not go away. Putin is crazed enough to push that damned nuclear button, initiating a war that will be over within hours, unstoppable, programmed to respond. Then it will not matter any longer as pathetic survivors wait out their days in a dystopian world such as we have seen only in movies, though some countries have come damned close to it in their own inner madness and fighting.

 Pick your choice, choose your option. It will not matter unless we force the bigshots of the world to act responsibly, honestly, firmly and prepare a better future for those who come after, a world where such behavior will not be tolerated, nipped in the bud. That is the only way to the right end - or to the end of the beginning or the end of the middle or the beginning of the end ...well, you get the drift. I hope. 

Our voices can be raised in the next elections, despite the rigged gerrymandering and voting restrictions. We simply need to get out there and vote, no matter the difficulties. It will surely be much more difficult if we turn this country over to our homegrown fascists. Think about it.

PS.  Just read that Russia has control of the nuclear power plant - after shelling it despite the awful horrendous consequences that might have happened. The reaction to all this- more tsk, tsk, bad boy, better stop - with no strength at all behind the words. Bullying reigns supreme. 

Think about that and what it could mean to the rest of the world, to us!

WHERE IS OUR LION?

 "The lion who found his roar". Such is the phrase used to describe the lauded leader of Ukraine. This is a person who has risen to the challenge, who has bravely defied and denied offers of rescue, stating he needs "ammo, not a ride". Moreover, he has committed his family to that same most possible, G-d forbid, danger. Attempts to assassinate him have already been foiled, but there will be more, and the results, if successful, will not be pretty. 

Yet there he stands, a Jewish President in a country long known for antisemitism, close on to a monument at Babi Yar, a notorious scene of mass murder of Jews by Nazis and Ukrainian soldiers, of more than 34,000 Jews. Yet there he stands, side by side, with his countrymen and women, in a land where there remains the largest number of Jews in Eastern Europe - over 200,000, and there he will remain until the hopefully positive end of victory over the invaders. Ukraine is now considered to be the country in that area with the least antisemitism. Ironic indeed.

Meanwhile, here is how the status quo is described after a horrific night of attacks on Kyiv and other areas.  Russian strategy was shifting to one of "slow annihilation" of Ukraine. Rising attacks on civilians, subsequent food crises and other inflicted misery could mean that the courage and resistance shown by Ukrainians will make their plight even more brutal.

Ukraine's will to fight "is extending this," ... "But the cruel military math of this will eventually come to bear, absent some intervention, absent some fundamental change in the dynamic."

Russia's increasing frustration could create a horrific scene in Kyiv that would likely see war crimes being committed, 

"They will just pummel the city; they will destroy (it) section by section. They will starve the people out, depopulate it,".

At what cost will we allow this to continue? How many more thousands must die in order to satiate the bloodlust, the power grabs of Putin, insanely determined to rebuild the Russian Empire of the Tsars, despite all realistic and humanistic factors opposing that ambition. He is most emphatically not the lion of a leader that Russia needs, but rather a leader of the same ilk as the hyenas of The Lion King. As usual, there is much adult truth in the fairy tales ostensibly written for children. He is the ogre that stalks the countryside, the trolls under the bridge, the witch counting on satiating her appetite via the deaths of others.

In today's case, however, the folks of the area are not going down without a fight and indeed, are in fact waking up the sleeping senses of nobility, of right, of justice, within the world that has for a decade gone to sleep, followed leaders of morally weak and vile character. Putin and Trump mirrored each other, relying on the Big Lie, with Trump even now stating that he championed NATO, supported arming Ukraine -the polar opposite of the truth and a main causation of this whole bloody mess. Unbelievably there are those who continue to believe those blatant lies.

Herein we have reached the once unimaginable crux of a possible, perhaps, sadly so, a probable corrupt and fascistic government of the United States as early as 2022, a result of crooked elections, with voting rights denied to many and gerrymandering beyond all possible imagination. What will be then recognized as the governing people of America will be a load of weak willed, morally destitute, fearful followers of Trump or rip-roaring supporters of him and his ilk. Even as the first jury trial of a traitor, a leader, of J6, goes on trial. Even as the House panel continues to investigate, exposing how deep, how high, and how low, the rot ran. Rather extensively.

We here in America have no lions leading us. What we have is the growing number of open fascists who attend conferences where Putin is cheered in the same breath as Trump. Where invasions of other countries are cheered, where unbelievably, the extremist right, even what is now standard right wing, cheer on our enemies, turn to fascism, wish to break the back of democracy. Where Tucker Carlson actually goes on TV in Russia praising them. Our people!  Republicans, to the great shame of a once proud party of loyal Americans. Not our people, yet so manifestly ours. Even as they ignore protocol and heckle a president giving his State of the Union address, talking of wounded veterans, including his son, and Boebert calls out. Like a moron. Like the piece of garbage that she is, one of too many low lifes who unfortunately have infiltrated our government

Russia's openly planned calculated military invasion was exposed by a map displayed by the puppet head of Belarus. His citizens are getting restless, as are the people of Russia, whose   children are being slaughtered in Ukraine to serve Putin, the madman. They look to Zelensky, claim him as their lion too. They look within as well, finding their own possible lions as a woman, a leader of Belarus in exile, speaks of possibilities in Belarus. 

Where do we stand on aiding these movements?  Where do we stand in the possible revitalization of a dream of a free world in all of Europe, no imitation iron curtains remade and rehung? Where do we stand on the rightness of it all? What is to be required of us in commitment, in ensuring a future unfractured by evil souls? Finally, what are we willing to do, to reset boundaries, to repair the world, a major tenet of Judaism by the way, called Tikkun Olam. We all of us have that obligation - to give to the world the best of us, to make it a better place simply for us having been there.

We so need a lion. We so need a reincarnation or remake of one who inspires the young, reinvigorates the tired and discouraged, a person for the generations, and yes, a person who is flawed as well. We need a human, a hero, a lion who is loyal to the pride, loyal to justice and right. Where is that person willing to emulate heroes, to pull a boat with his teeth to save a person, and 20 years later face off a threat of similar fright, painted with nuclear shadows. Where is our lion - or lioness? Where are the JFKs of today? Look deep, my friends; look quickly. As the song goes - 

"I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero
'Til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life"

 Substitute WE for I and there you have it.

A simple need, a most difficult task.

TOO MUCH LIKE RIGHT

  I love that phrase. Just came across it this morning in an article re Ketanji Jackson. The absurd objections to her from various Republicans and fellow travelers and their refusal to stop, to admit her most eminent qualifications are bizarre, to say the least. To retract them, to apologize for them, would be, as the author quoted his grandmother, "too much like right". Gotta' love that pithy statement. It embodies so much within it that is applicable to the world today. 

Our poor, broken world so desperately needs injections of what is right. For Putin to admit his grievous errors, his egregious invasion and attempt to dominate, destroy, the countries of Eastern Europe and indeed all NATO countries is, "too much like right" for him. What is too much like wrong is how we have left Ukraine alone, a tiny ant fending off a monster elephant trying to stomp it out of existence. 

Today we read of the Russian Foreign Minister stating that the US has no business being in Europe and certainly should take its nuclear weapons based there and go home. What we need to realize is that there will be no home to return to should we disengage ourselves to that extent. Yes, it is frightening to think of the consequences should we feel firsthand the impacts of war. 

People die in war. There is no surgically precise and clean weapon that would eliminate all  "collateral" damage. People die. Civilians die. Children die. People are maimed for life. Women are seen as war booty. Infrastructure is targeted, destroyed, with bridges and communication facilities first targets. Bluntly stated - the rules of war are oxymoronic. A damned foolish hope, for war, violence, the heat of the battle allows for no rules to remain in place. The rules are violated within seconds, even at the push of a button. The heat, smoke, fog, and confusion of the battlefield urge those involved to use all on hand to pursue victory, or at the very least inflict as much damage as possible upon the enemy.

There is where we stand right now. Biden has stated, tacitly, that to put boots on the ground in Ukraine would be to invite nuclear response. Even a "small" nuclear attack would be devastating to us and to the world. " ... it would be an apocalyptic scenario right out of the most dire Biblical prophecy or dystopian science fiction story."

Words are better weapons to solve problems, but words demand patience. They demand open minds. They demand introspection. They demand recognition of truths - on all sides. They demand recognition of causes and honest ways to remedy them. They demand full-hearted, full- throated endorsements.

Fear does not work. Chamberlain and England were afraid of war, their previous victory proving to be dreadful in realities faced. So, it conceded all to Hitler, trying to stave off this monster and his ambitions. It did not work. That would have been   "too much like right" by Hitler. So, nibble, nibble Hitler did until we had to face the truth, hear the music and it was not pretty. But had to be done.

We need to do better here. Ukraine is but the next domino in this progression of dominoes that Putin has successfully set up. Literally taken pieces of Ukraine before, this shooting war was for the next domino - the entire Ukraine. Belarus has already toppled and what is next in this serious game of dominoes? Hungary? Moldova? The Baltic Republics? Poland? Romania? And on and on. So many, such a plethora of delicious additions to this mad game of dominoes. 

Somewhere, somehow, we have to put a definite and definitive end to Putin and his ambitions. Encourage the rebellion of the people of Russia, already incensed at this attempt to run a war in secret in a world where there are no secrets any longer. As they watch their young men and women sacrificed on the altar of Putin's grandiose and demented dreams. As the chickens of Putin come home to roost. 

There are people willing to work with others. These are the people who warned of the attempt by two Russian sent teams of Chechnian assassins to kill Zelensky, a hero of our times. If the attempt had succeeded that would have indeed been the official end of Ukraine, but not the war, as street fighting, vicious and bloody, determined and proud, would have continued. Because we refused to stand pat and firm in the face of tyranny, its never-ending hunger for more, more, and yet more. Facing up to a bully is the only way to defeat it.

I admit. I have no definitive answers. I, too, am frightened to death of nuclear war. I do not like the image of pulverization of my country or the thought of the brutal life that would ensue. To survive the initial blasts is no bargain either. I do not relish the thought of family and friends ... Best not said out loud. Somehow, we must find the shining knight, cloaked and clothed in all his/her glory, with an ability to close the cracks, the abysses into which we have fallen. Surely within our governmental ranks or thinkers of society there must exist someone with the answer and the charisma to convince others of that.

Somewhere, sometime, someday. Not merely a sad, yet hopeful song. The day of opportunity is growing dimmer and dimmer.  We must act, with firmness, with unity, and not try to delude ourselves with lies of gossamer strength. Hear the words of others. Again, I quote Sean Penn and how has that happened twice - is a miracle in itself!

 "Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn't relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind. [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy] and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle."

"Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost," 

 Where do we go from here? Time is growing short for no matter how many shipments we promise, it will never match the equipment and army of Russia. Jewish federations and associations around the world have done yeoman jobs in raising funds, in distribution and with boots on the ground, in harm's way as they serve others. Impelling that effort are two injunctions by which Jews have lived and survived. The statement "All Yisroel are responsible for each other." along with the imperative to redeem prisoners, those in captivity, no matter the cost. The sky is the limit. 200,000 Jews are now captives in Ukraine along with the rest of the captives of insane Putin ambition. We, all of us, are responsible for them, to redeem them, to understand what this whole turn of events actually means for and to the rest of us.

Thus, I plead with all out there. Dig deep, think hard and long, and find someone to tamp down this all-consuming non distinguishing fire that threatens us all.  To do nothing is "too much like wrong"; we need to find the courage within us to do that which is not "too much like right" but rather just enough of right. Now.

WHAT, ME WORRY?

  Oh, for the good old days of MAD magazine, where we were able to laugh at various crises of the world and then move on to and with our lives. Today, in deep and increasing contrast we have no true relief valve, no trusted and truly nonpartisan newsfeed, so "me worry? Oh yes. Certainly so.

Once upon a time the world had a healthy number of strong democratic states or nations. Some were better, others not, but still, there they were. To achieve democracy was a goal of people living in autocratic countries, ranging from individual dictators to the mega nations such as the USSR which subsumed other nations as swiftly and surely as a thirsty cat laps up a fresh bowl of milk.

Today, 60 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, we are back at the brink. Only this time, the brink has truly unstable qualities, the dirt crumbling beneath our feet, the edge moving closer and closer. The loser in this self-defeating state of being? Why us, so most assuredly, worry. There is no escaping the consequences should that unstable edge of the cliff truly crumble into the sea, breaking into ever smaller, unviable pieces as it caroms off the rocks along the way, hits the razor-edged formations at the bottom, and the deep depths of an ocean that will swallow all who fall into its depths.

I can remember those drills and the knowledge of how foolishly we all believed in their 'protection'. We 'knew' that Castro, and more importantly, the USSR would come to their senses. We 'knew' there was a sense of responsibility, of duty, owed to the people under whatever leadership, to ensure that there truly would never be a nuclear war, certainly nothing to resemble on an even greater scale, the realities of a worldwide Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Never!

And the world stepped back. Eventually, the USSR and the USA signed a mutually limiting treaty over the number of nuclear missiles allowed - around 1,500 I believe. Enough for MAD, something which no one truly desired. And then - the 21st century arrived.

It brought with it a new reality - one that denied true reality, arrayed new 'realities' in a smorgasbord display, where one could find a site that validated one's opinions, shored them up, no matter the idiocy of them. Dangerous ignoramuses began their infiltration of governments around the world. Egotists began their rise, and loyalty to countries, to people, disappeared, replaced by self-importance, willful ignorance, poorly educated despite schooling, hate filled people who cared for naught but power. The more held in their hot little hands, the better. 

Here in America, we were not immune to this newly empowered virus. No, not COVID, though that did a job, certainly, on the world, adding its negative influence to the pot. No, this was a virus where open traitors, disloyal to America, in whose government they served, rose to the fore. They rejected equality, loyalty, true patriotism, rejoiced in victories of openly hostile nations and individuals. As their stars ascended the rot grew, ate into the foundation of our nation.

We gave up on democracy here in the seat of it. We gave up all hope of a democratic future as we allowed autocracy proponents to impose their new normal upon us. The shenanigans of legislatures around the country, with perversion of voting rights, making it impossible for true democratic voting to take place, the elections of 2022 will bring about the end of democracy right here. Here. In the USA.

Worse, leaders of countries around the world also evidenced signs of mental illness or were ravaged by dementia of one cause or another. They ruled with a mad set of rules, rules which changed on a dime. Fear was the working mechanism and we here succumbed to it as we had Trump in the White House and a government run by people who now admit they knew he was deranged even as they enabled him to continue on his oh so dangerous path. And here we are.

We have a country with a thriving economy, a turnaround, but rising prices due to international issues disguise that fact. People are tired of isolation, of unwelcome changes to their lifestyles and the unknowing, forever right there in our faces, as to when, if ever, this would end and we could return to 'normal', whatever that meant. Facing us, spitting in our faces, playing deadly games of chicken, we had another deranged leader, Putin, who isolated himself physically and mentally, from all. He has embarked upon a path which has a very short span of miles to its length.

This crazed egotistical monster is responsible for the new state of being, of reality, on the face on this earth. He has his mad finger on the button of disaster, of a Sixth Extinction - that of humankind and all else, other than some rats and roaches! 1,000 seconds to midnight reads the Doomsday Clock. The massive armies of Russia descend upon Ukraine and its cities and villages. Indiscriminate bombing of civilians. Russian soldiers telling their mamas how hard it is, how they were lied to. Yet another refugee crisis. Massive humanitarian and humanity crises. A raised nuclear attack level - at least for the madman of Russia.

Will he succeed in his plans? I fear so, at least for Ukraine though it will be a difficult occupation as these brave people are digging trenches, stocking up on Molotov cocktails, determined to fight till the last rock to be thrown is gone. Then what? Then the juggernaut rolls over all the other countries of Eastern Europe, all the former SSRs, and beyond. If not stopped NOW, this mad Putin, a self - declared modern day restorer of the Empire of the Tsars, a close cousin to all power-hungry autocrats, a true throwback to Hitler, if not stopped, once and for all, will bring it all down with a resounding earth destroying BANG!!

If we are able to contain this situation, end it on a somewhat positive note, and look to the future through wiser eyes and minds, then perhaps we have a chance. In the meanwhile, yes, worry. Even as you go ahead and purchase a long-term item, or dither over choices for dinner or which movie to see, what to stream.

The other choice? To worry about pulverization, most eminently not good for one's health!! The acidic juices will eat away at us from within, our challenged minds and brains, struggling to hold down the fort, to defend sanity, will lose its valiant fight, with results most eminently not desired. Not to worry though, for we will be returned to the dust, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Beyond caring, beyond concern. Perhaps a fitting end to this glorious experiment of humanity, to live and maintain this once beautiful planet. We gave up progress in the face of false declamations of false leaders, turned once again to hatred, chose the wrong leaders - perhaps the ones we deserved. No Lollipop Kids to sing us along onto a better, more hopeful path. No yellow brick road for us.

What, me worry? Oh yes. But in the meanwhile, move on with your everyday life even as you keep a watchful eye on the world at large. There is no escaping it, even as we must live within it. The answer to the situation? Huh! Damned if I know. Perhaps ....... Man, the impossibilities overwhelm, the difficulties' myriad, Gordian knots of mammoth proportions. Gotta' get me some worry beads or those Chinese rolling balls, or a squishy thing for 'nerves'. Perhaps a slew of these things sent to the appropriate leaders might help. As if. If only.

In the meanwhile, tune in to the State of the Union. The Netflix movie can wait. The book can wait. The hobby can wait. The world awaits. Far more important.