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JL
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| Kiev Residential Neigborhood |
Why No "No Fly Zone"
An ‘opinion’ piece in the March 15 Palm Beach Post, advocating a ‘no fly zone’ over Ukraine, concluded with this suggestion:
‘The correct course is to inform the Russians that (1) NATO and
the United States are immediately establishing a no-fly zone to enable
humanitarian and military supplies to reach the Ukrainian people and forces;
(2) if Russia interferes, its offending air defenses and aircraft will be
destroyed; and (3) if Russia escalates the matter further, NATO and the United
States will escalate further, including use of our nuclear forces if required.
Time is of the essence for Ukraine and for the West. No Russian
first strike, tactical or strategic, could eliminate a response that could
vaporize Russian forces or cities. Unhinged as he seems to be, Putin and those
around him can be expected not to want Russia vaporized.’
The author seems to underestimate the ‘unhingedness’ of Vladimir
Putin. I believe the Russian people are
beginning to see him for what he is and will find a way to get rid of him as a
direct result of his Ukraine aggression, regardless of whether it succeeds or
not. The Russian people, as well as
those European nations which thought they could manage to get along with Putin,
will suffer from ‘buyer’s remorse,’ if they already are not feeling it. What they see in Ukraine has awakened them.
With a friend like Vladimir Putin, who needs enemies?
As for the writer’s suggestion, it reminds me of a weekly poker
game in which I participate. The stakes
are relatively minimal (25 cents and 50 cents) and I enjoy it, even when I lose
$20. I really can’t lose very much. I know there are other games around where the
minimum bets are $5 and $10. I avoid
those, just as I would avoid the writer’s ‘no fly zone’ suggestion. The stakes are just far too high for me.
But there are other steps, besides sanctions and humanitarian
aid, which we can take, short of getting involved in a shooting war with
Russia, to help Ukraine. Some of these are probably ‘classified’ at this point
so you won’t read about them, but I believe they are being carried out.
The writer cites JFK’s having successfully stood up to a similar
Russian nuclear threat during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. He suggests we
wave the ‘nuclear saber’ which we also, like Russia, possess. What is not often stated is that the Russian
missiles were removed from Cuba only after JFK agreed to remove our missile
sites from Turkey. I don’t think we have
something similar to trade off today.
The pictures from Ukraine of the terror being directed at non-combatant civilians, turning cities to rubble, are horrible ... but they should motivate us to find solutions other than worse horrors which would come from a nuclear conflict with Russia, in which a failed and unhinged Putin will have less to lose than do we.
JL
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War Criminals and Mouthpieces So the Senate voted to declare Vladimir Putin to be a 'war
criminal'! Serbian president Milosovec
was similarly cited twenty years ago, indicted, but died in prison in the
Hague before the years-long trial was completed. What Putin is doing in Ukraine qualifies him as a 'war criminal.' Memory of this can either strengthen Putin's resolve to reclaim Ukraine to Russia’s orbit, no matter what it takes, or cause him to back off. I lean toward the latter alternative. I believe there will ultimately be a 'deal' guaranteeing Ukraine's independence but not permitting its NATO or EU membership. Originally, I thought such a deal would involve some autonomy for Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine, but because of Putin's indiscriminate bombing, even of cities where Russia had significant support, I think even they have soured on him. Rebuilding Ukraine’s cities, wrecked by Putin, will take Western aid and despite non-membership in NATO and the European Union, that will bind Ukraine firmly to nations that are members. The big losers will be Russia and of course, Putin, not to mention their mouthpieces in this country which the First Amendment protects. And in speaking of European ‘war criminals,’ let’s
look at their ‘mouthpieces’ here in the United States. There were eight Republican members of Congress, Andy Biggs (AZ), Dan Bishop (NC), Lauren Boebert (CO),
Matt Gaetz (FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Glenn Grothman (WI), Thomas
Massie (KY), and Chip Roy (TX), whom I
believe would eagerly serve as 'quislings' if democracy fails here. They made
their position clear when they were the only members of the House voting
against suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. (Vidkun
Quisling was the Nazi collaborator who became the puppet Prime Minister of
Norway during the German occupation of that country during WW2, after which
he was tried and executed.) JL
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Two Quotes
A well-known quote to think about, which applies today: 'Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And
therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.' (John Donne)
Here's one for European nations to benefit from: 'Everybody knows there is no fineness or
accuracy of suppression; if you hold down one thing, you hold down the
adjoining.' (Saul Bellow in 'Augie March.')
JL
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Your Support of Ukraine is Needed
Recommended agencies for donations to aid Ukrainians in that
country and those who have already fled may be made online to many
agencies. Among them are the Joint
Distribution Committee, World Central Kitchen, Catholic World Services, the
American Jewish Congress, Americacares, HIAS and UNICEF. All have websites through which donations can
be made. There are many others, but to
be sure of their legitimacy, check them out on www.charitynavigator.org.
JL
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Affordable Cities
A company called “GoodHire” offers services to employers regarding things like investigations of new employees, comparative salaries, etc. They recently reported on the most and least affordable cities in which to live, a factor important to companies attempting to hire employees. Here’s their list of the most affordable cities: 1. Sioux Falls SD, 2. Reno NV, 3. Provo UT, 4. Madison WI, 5. Huntsville AL, 6. Charleston SC, 7. Fayetteville AK, 8. Ogden UT, 9. Salt Lake City UT, 10. Spartanburg SC. These are places where firms can cut back on salaries. I won’t bother with the least affordable cities because you probably can guess them.
This information should also work for those planning to move
when they retire. Most of these cities
are sizable and offer cultural, recreational, health care and educational
opportunities approaching those in far less affordable large metropolitan
areas. Of course, note that nowhere on
this list is any city in Florida, a State to which many retirees mistakenly
head.
JL
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I Still Write Letters
Here are a
couple of letters I recently sent to the Palm Beach Post. Both dealt with ‘State’ issues. If they are published, I will let you know.
1. Could the recent article about the roofer who bilked both homeowners and insurance companies be just the tip of the iceberg that is causing Florida homeowners insurance premiums to spiral widely out of control? The "Roof Claim Bowl" was an appropriate new name for the football game played each year in Boca Raton. Regardless of the sponsoring company's performance, the name and the location seem appropriate.
2. He’s against “woke,” against LGBTQ, against vaccination, against masking, against protecting
voting rights, against abortions, against independent thinking in State colleges, against books
and teachers that comment unfavorably on our history. In fact, he’ll be against anything that
promises the votes of groups that are against those things. And yet millions of Floridians
voted for Governor DeSantis and will again. Next will come broccoli, followed by kale,
which even I dislike.
JL
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