The Republicans are out in full force engaging in revisionist history by claiming they’ve supported Ukraine and condemned Putin all along (as we know, neither is true—neither has been true for years). On top of that, they’re pretending that Putin invaded Ukraine because President Biden is weak. On the other hand, they tell us, Putin never would have taken such a step during the Trump administration because, to paraphrase their delusions, “Donald would have kicked Putin’s ass.”
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is unimaginable. Over a million Ukrainians have fled the country and a million more have been internally displaced. Ukraine has a population of 40 million people.
Please consider donating to one of the following reputable organizations. I will keep adding to the list. (Please let me know if there is something specific you’d like your donation to go towards—the Ukrainian army, refugees, the internally displaced, hospitals, supplies, etc.—so I can vet charities accordingly.)
Leaving aside the fact that we have crazy people like Lindsey Graham, a sitting senator and noted tough guy, who are calling for Putin’s assassination—in Graham’s case, live on television and on Twitter—what more could the EU, the United States, and our NATO allies be doing to help Ukraine defend itself and push back the Russian aggressors? Keep in mind, Russia has more nuclear weapons than any other country in the world and Vladimir Putin is a madman.
I just donated to WCK through link on Instagram. Phil (Everybody Loves Raymond, Somebody Feed Phil, etc.) and Monica Rosenthal are matching donations to WCK.
How the hell is a call for assassination by a sitting US Senator not behavior that is subject to censure or more severe discipline? That's heinous behavior.
The "world's greatest deliberative body" is broken. This just happened: "Two Republican Senators (Rubio and Daines)] senators have come under fire for sharing photos of Volodomyr Zelensky on social media after they were reportedly asked not to for the safety of the Ukrainian president."
You can bet that Russia will be playing Lindsey Graham's tweet on a loop on state T.V. There is nothing more helpful to the Russian leaders than to convince their people that the evil United States politicians want to assassinate the leader of the "Great Russian Empire". My point is; Lindsay Graham's tweet was quite helpful to Putin!
For the GOP to now try to score brownie points on the back of a less-than-successful Trump presidency is reprehensible! This is the time for bipartisan solidarity, not a continuing barrage of lies about their failed leader! This being said, Trump lied constantly and accused all who spoke the truth as “fake news”; Putin is his Russian counterpart!
I long for the day when both are brought to justice and made to pay for their crimes…
Precisely. If criminals and dictators are not subjected to the rule of law and brought to justice, many will think their behaviour is socially and morally acceptable.
The first thing a dictator does is to defame, burn down, or discredit the press. He creates his own ‘media’ and only that info is, in his opinion, accurate.
The second thing a dictator does is to give ‘favors’ to his ‘friends.’ He gives them jobs for which they are not likely qualified. He gives them praise, accolades, and approval.
The next thing a dictator does is to defame, smear and denigrate his ‘enemies.’ He fires, discredits and some will kill them. It is not uncommon for those enemies to ‘disappear.’
The dictator establishes that he is in power for ‘life.’ If there are limits for the time in power, they are erased from the ‘new rules.’ No discussion or debates.
The dictator tells lies, misinformation, makes distractions, and ‘spins’ a story to his advantage. Supporters are blindly believing each word despite their personal observations.
Minorities are significantly susceptible to being ruled by ‘different’ rules. Most of the rules are subservient, disregarding people as humans, and inferior as the dictator defines.
Sound familiar? 45 is a master at these and more. Draft-dodging wasn't in the manual, it probably is now.
Agreed. Also, the GOP’s claim that Trump “would have kissed Putin’s ass” is completely delusional. Trump proved over and over again that he liked & admired Putin, and that he believed Putin’s many lies, including the one about the Kremlin having nothing to do with the Skripals’ poisoning in Salisbury, England, when the evidence proved otherwise!!!
I believe that Trump’s subservience to Putin actually encouraged Putin to consider the US as being weak and no doubt helped Putin believe he could do anything he wanted! Trump would not have kicked Putin’s ass; he would have kissed it!
Yeah--Putin didn't need to invade Ukraine bc Donald was doing his dirty work for him--weakening the Western alliance, undermining NATO, creating chaos and instability here. And kissing his ass.
Thanks for sending this Mary. I've already donated. Others, please consider doing so. The Ukrainians did NOT deserve this. While they've done brilliantly so far, Russian resources are vast and it's hard to accept how things may go. I only wish I could donate Stinger missiles. They really need help.😒
So after Putin takes Ukraine and starts looking at Poland or another NATO country…will we also decline to protect them because Putin might let loose his nukes? He has learned that we won’t risk nuclear war so he can do anything he wants. If this is the case, then why not admit we are already in this this war and call his bluff, which we will have to do eventually…at least the brave people of Ukraine would be defended. How can we possibly sit and watch them get annihilated like this? I bet if we simply added them to NATO right now that would be enough to stop Putin.
The United States has proven over and over that we will not come to the aid of those that Putin chooses to murder and grind into dust - not in Syria (after Obama said he had a red line that shouldn’t be crossed, was crossed repeatedly & he did nothing) nor in Georgia or Crimea and now we are all watching Ukraine be decimated and its citizens killed and displaced.
Yeah, yeah, I get it - nukes. This is exactly why no one should have them. But they are out there and this is how we - and the rest of NATO - respond? I am ashamed of President Biden and the United States (& NATO) on how they have capitulated to a madman. (Money & arms help but not when there aren’t enough people to use them because they are getting wiped out.) When BIden said at a press conference that “we will absolutely not send troops to Ukraine” he should have just had the backbone to say “Help yourself Putin”.
I want to know why Ukraine hasn’t been admitted to NATO and Russia kicked out? If a NATO country can destroy other countries at will then why the fuck are they allowed to even be in NATO?
We all know what is going to happen. Putin is going to destroy Ukraine and murder Zelenskyy, his family and his Cabinet - maybe even publicly to keep everyone else in line. I guess the good ol US will just issue a strongly worded condemnation and then sit next to Russia’s delegates at the next NATO meeting.
To those who will tell me I’m reacting purely emotionally or “Nukes!” - save your words. First off, I am emotional about this - I’m pissed and disheartened and grieving for Ukraine. Second, I’ve also given a great deal of thought to this situation - reasoned, well researched thought. Yes, what I propose would have enormous risks but are we really going to sit back and watch Ukraine be utterly destroyed? Where is our humanity?
And as MJK says - will Biden & NATO decide that defending Poland with boots on the ground is you know, gee, well, sorry Poland, it’s just too risky. Your sacrifice will be for the greater good - that none of the rest of us get wiped out. Suck it up Poland. Just like Ukraine had to. After Poland, then what? Hungary? Slovakia?
The rest of the world is watching and those who have nuclear weapons (China, N Korea) and those who want them (Iran) are absolutely taking note.
First, Russia is not in NATO so can't be kicked out. Secondly, if a NATO country is attacked all bets are off. We will vigorously defend whichever country it might be. Unlike the prior guy in the oval office, Biden takes our treaty commitments seriously.
So be it Poland, Latvia, Estonia or whomever, we will defend it, even knowing full scale nuclear war is quite possible.
That being said, I do understand the frustration and wish there was more we could do. I am just glad we have competent adults in charge now, rather than the incompetents that were in the administration before.
I did make a mistake. I was thinking of Russia’s membership in the UN and how, incredibly, they are on the Security Council. So yes, I was wrong about that.
So, in your way of thinking and you are not the only person to bring this point up to me, since Ukraine isn’t in NATO they don’t matter? We should just watch them be completely destroyed and say “Oh well, guess you should’ve been in NATO”.
First; the U.S. is not standing idly by. We are doing what we can within reason. The U.S. has made it clear that we will protect any NATO member with our full-force should Putin venture one inch inside NATO territory. O.K. so what if we call his bluff and it turns-out that he isn't bluffing. What if Putin figures he is going to die soon and he really doesn't care about his people or anyone else. After all, he is an extreme narcissistic sociopath. Besides, he has a nuclear-proof bomb shelter. Sure, there won't be anything left to come out to, but his days are numbered anyway. So mutually assured total destruction is just fine with him! So what then? Instead of hundreds dying in Ukraine, we have millions dead and society gone. So then is your bluster worth it? It is easy to sit on the sidelines and make ridiculous claims. It is a little different when you have responsibility for millions of lives and society in general!
I hear what you are saying, and understand your points. I just don’t see this stopping with Ukraine…and Putin has now learned that he can effectively knee-cap us just by threatening to use his nukes. Hopefully the prospect of a protracted resistance by these stubborn Ukrainians will deter him.
Putin cannot knee-cap us with threats. Frankly, Putin is deathly afraid of the U.S. military. He knows better than to venture beyond Ukraine into any NATO Member Nation. He knows the U.S. will defend them. There is no doubt!
Again, since Ukraine isn’t in NATO we should just watch them be destroyed and say “Oh well, guess you should’ve been in NATO?”
According to your second argument, we should let Ukraine be destroyed to save the rest of us from the possibility of nuclear war. Do they really matter so little?
I wasn’t talking about bluffing or bluster. I acknowledged his mental health issues and the extreme risk but I don’t believe we can decide to designate an entire country as a sacrifice for the rest of us.
Thanks for the insult, calling my thoughts “ridiculous claims”. I’ll refrain from returning the favor.
The bottom line is that it is what it is! Nobody wants to sacrifice Ukraine or any country for that matter. So it isn't about that. It is about recognizing the reality of the situation. Putin is afraid of the U.S. military. We could easily defeat Russia in a war. However, they have more nukes than us and if they decide to use them it is over for all of us. Again, the U.S. will not stand-by if Russia messes with any NATO member and I can assure you that Putin will not. He knows better!
We disagree. I think it is about sacrificing Ukraine.
About those nuclear weapons - Russia has a bit more than we do but both countries have ridiculous amounts. I found two different counts online - US @ 6550, Russia @ 6800 and another was US @ 5550 and Russia @ 5977. The small difference hardly matters.
Yeah, we can agree to disagree. I worked for the military for many years and saw things I cannot talk about in any specificity. I'll just say this; The U.S. has many impenetrable top secret underground sites designed to last about two weeks in the event of nuclear war. The sole purpose of them is to command a second and third strike from submarines and other locations around the world to insure complete devastation. It is all gamed out. We often talked about the possibility of being in there when it happened what we would do. There was a general consensus among my co-workers that we really did not want to be in there and also did not want to survive that kind of devastation. My point is that the possibility of nuclear war is very real and is no joke. Not something to be taken lightly and not something that we should ever gamble with. If the U.S. needs to use force against another nuclear power, it will do so, but only if there is absolutely no alternative. There are still alternatives here.
I was in the military for years. I agree with you that nuclear war needs to be avoided, is very real and no joke (as if it ever could be one) but I am not okay with sacrificing an entire country to avoid the possibility. I can only hope that the alternatives you speak of would prevent nuclear war and save Ukraine from further destruction and death and are put into place immediately.
The US position on Ukraine reminds me of how reluctant/opposed the US was to getting involved with WWII, even when our govt. knew what the Nazis were doing. It took a direct attack on us at Pearl Harbor to convince people we needed to enter the war.
I wonder if that's what it will take this time - except this time, Putin can launch a nuclear attack. Terrifying.
I too donated to The Voices of the Children. I had not heard of them before. Paypal sent an email asking if I actually did donate. It is hard to know who to trust these days. I know who I DON'T TRUST.
Heather Cox Richardson: "The U.S., and other countries that belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, are supporting Ukraine from outside its borders. For NATO to take on the fight against Putin’s armies directly in Ukraine runs the risk of uniting the currently demoralized Russian people behind their leader, and enables him to start a war against NATO, which would engulf all of Europe." Enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would start WWIII. I wish it weren't so.
Garry Kasparov, Fiona Hill, and Bill Browder all believe that Putin is wholly uninterested in an off-ramp. They also believe that Putin will deliberately provoke NATO, whether to distract from his Ukraine debacle or domestic unrest, and the US is simply delaying the inevitable. In terms of sanctions, the US isn't exactly leading the way: we're far below the EU. Only the UK has a more abysmal showing.
Hi Mary, I just re-read this post and noticed something I missed before. If you know of a way for a donation to go to the Ukrainian military, I'd like to make a donation there too. I originally searched for a way to make a donation to the Ukrainian military but had no success. It's very sad to say, but they probably need weapons even more than they need cots right now. If you do discover a way that seems credible, I'd love to make that happen. As always, thanks for what you do.
I support both WCK and Drs W/out Borders as my charities. Had to suspend for a few months due to financial issues but will restart asap. Good ppl there
It would help if all the allied nations stopped buying Russian oil and gas which hasn't happened yet. Also, every company that is HQ'd in allied nations with a footprint in Russia like McDonalds and Starbucks and on and on and on (thanks to Thom Hartmann for pointing this out on his radio show today) should shut those establishments down. Cut off all avenues of enjoyment for the Russians so they understand that Putin is doing bad things because most older Russians are believing state media lies and not their own relatives in Ukraine.
Militarily, Ukraine needs more fighter jets and missiles that can destroy Russian plans dropping bombs on civilian targets so allied nations should be sending WAY more of those supplies.
Here are three more charities that I found on the Today Show website
I've been going back and forth on what should be done by our government. I've been listening to Gaslight podcast, reading Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum, the Vindmans, etc. All people much closer to Ukraine and Putin than me. I think there is a strong argument for a no fly zone. I understand our hesitation but for humanitarian reasons, I don't believe we can only do the toughest sanctions in the world and watch. I don't think it will be enough and some of the sanctions are really tough to accomplish. And not just because self interest gets in the way. Actually they are really tough logistically to say nothing of China being NO help. There is a perspective that says: we are already in WW3 and Putin has gotten away with bombing Georgia, Syria, Ukraine once already and he's always threatening nuclear war. What is the difference between Putin and Hitler? It's the same story. We need at a minimum to help the people get out of there are arm the Ukrainians to the teeth. Lindsey Graham is a Putin stooge - I reported his assination tweer to the Twitter police - I hope everybody else does too.
Unfortunately, patience is called for right now. Just believe there are things going that we (and Lindsey Graham et al) do not want or need to know about.
Journalists are trying. Russians are blindly supporting their cult leader Putin despite seeing evidence of bombs civilian buildings in Ukraine - the ones who haven't fled because they can see the writing on the wall and have the means to get out.
Not all Russians are. Thousands have been arrested for protesting the war. Even children were put behind locked bars in a police wagon and taken in. You can find the photos online.
Plus, you have to look at how completely isolated Russians are from having any kind of non-state controlled media. The last two news sites that were independent were shut down this week and one company’s entire staff have fled Russia to avoid being imprisoned or killed. I haven’t yet heard what has happened to the other company’s staff.
In the privacy of my home, I have been saying the same since this started. But even I know better than to publically speak it, especially on television. It just feeds the Putin narrative. But covertly, well yes. It is the only way to stop a madman with a huge army and nuclear weapons.
The US could attack the electricity sources of all of Russia's military communications, which would make Putin more mad but buy Ukraine more time. This might not work since the invasion has been going on for more than a week.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are politicians (and businessmen) cut from the same cloth, and the Republican Party made no secret in 2016 that they thought a Russian-friendly Trump candidacy enhanced, rather than diminished Donald Trump’s suitability for president.
Look at the assertive, intelligent, and devastating sanctions levied against the gangsters and their supporters in Russia, coming from nations run by progressive, left leadership in Germany and France. Spearheaded by the United States, from a Congress that has its executive and legislative branches run by the Democratic Party.
And T H A T is why Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine.
The last spasms of the serfdom and race-based hierarchy economies have arrived.
The oligarchs (conservatives) running Russia know their time is almost up. That’s why they’re keeping Navalny alive, for use as a potential bargaining chip.
Make no mistake: the supporters of authoritarianism taking root in countries like the United States, place their faith in a monopolistic, religious fundamentalist, bigoted worldview.
These authoritarian stakeholders preach the same mantra since the 1960s that the John Birch Society did: Government is bad, regulation is bad, unions are bad.
How lucky indeed we are to witness the twilight of their existence .
It is incomprehensible that Biden said we will not send in troops. Why eliminate an option? Graham lost it when he went from talking about the Great Orange Ego as the lunatic he is to sycophancy. It's wrong to shame a person for being a closet LGBTQ, but someone please find one of the guys he has been physical with his lily-white ass to speak publicly. We ought to have someone like France or Sweden provide planes to enforce a no-fly zone at a minimum. Putin's nuclear weapons are deterring intervention in a situation that is no different than when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 or when Iraq invaded Kuwait. It was a mistake to allow Russia to hang onto the USSR's veto seat on the Un Security Council.
I think Americans feel powerless as we can’t stop or interfere with what’s going on in Ukraine. We are so used to being in charge and doing what we think is the right thing. This time doing the right thing will lead to awful things. So, we need to feel empowered. This means we need to donate to groups that’ll help the Ukrainians, boycott companies which won’t leave Russia, stop Russian oil, and continue to pressure lawmakers to help Ukraine with weapons.
Mary I do not understand why the Ukrainians scream for a No Fly Zone, Which is declined flatly, goes unheard, BUT NO ONE considers selling the Ukrainians Enough Jets & Planes for them to construct No Fly Zone themselves, We Give Ukraine Weapons, A Plane Is A Weapon, its so helpless a feeling to just watch the Russians Invade Ukraine Daily, Makes My Blood Boil Because Ukraine is a democracy!
Thanks Mary, for not forgetting the animals (IFAW).
Here are some links for how to help out animals and their guardians; animals that were left behind due to circumstances beyond the owners' control, and animals in zoos and shelters:
I think UNICEF should be a good place to donate. I have found the following sources good for news ( I am a Russia and East Europe Specialist by education and grad school, did research for DOD and did special foreign service in Russia and Ukraine for 1 year): UK Channel 4 live on youtube , DW ( Germany) on youtube, Kyiv Independent on Facebook and Warsaw Institute. I have no doubt Rachel would be great if she weren't away. Ari V. is doing well .Amanpour havs good interviews. Watch Rrt Lt Col Alexander Vindman on military matters.
I recently gave to Doctors without Borders, but will also give to IFAW. I cannot imagine losing or leaving behind a beloved fur (or feathered) family member!
Chris Hayes did a great commentary on March 5 of the historical context of Ukraine, Putin and DJT. Putin didn’t have to make waves for 4 years bc DJT did exactly what Putin wanted. Criticized NATO and our allies, tried to blackmail Zelensky, and sucked up to dictators.
Yes, please add WCKitchen to the list of organizations to help the refugees from Ukraine. They fed more people in Puerto Rico after the hurricane than the Red Cross. Doctors without borders is a wonderful org.too.
Even Tho I'm Getting Militant About The Circumstances it doesn't mean I'm Blind To The Humanitarian Crisis. A Free Sovereign Democracy Invaded by Russia is WRONG we must RESIST every way we know how! #IStandWithUkraine
Sane people do not want a nuclear war. While agreeing with that idea, I keep thinking 'what if it was us, the U.S. which was being invaded, and we were denied the help we desperately needed and asked for'? Would sanctions be enough for us?
We should hack the Russian state-controlled media and broadcast accurate news from Ukraine - the devastation their army is inflicting on Putin's orders; interviews with bewildered Russian POWs (showing the Ukrainians treating them well); the systematic attacks on power, heating, and water supplies; the Russian shelling of the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe; inspiring footage of Zelensky, other Ukrainian leaders, and Ukrainians and others traveling there from all over the world to help defend the country against the invasion.
We should also be putting all of the above on thumb drives and smuggling those into the country to be distributed the way samizdat bootleg literature was in the Soviet era.
We should use drones to fly in medical supplies, water purification tablets, freeze-dried food, solar/hand-crank-powered radios, burner phones, GPS units, and space blankets.
We should be delivering massive shipments of small arms and ammunition, military manuals, and more Javelins and Stingers to the border, coordinating with Ukrainians fighting the Russians so they can pick them up - drive trucks up to the border, hand them the keys, and let them take the vehicles along with their loads.
For once I agree with Graham about what needs to be done to Putin. However, we all know that Donald would look the other way while Putin invaded and then try to negotiate a deal for a Trump hotel there...
The US could send a 'Good Will' mission to Ukraine. To spread good will. Peacekeepers. See Yes Prime Minster "A Victory For Democracy". The US has done this before, sending deterrence forces to make Putin stand down. Other people with a grasp of history could explain. I only know British comedies.
Please consider adding World Central Kitchen as Chef Andres is providing meals to Ukrainian refugees. Thank you.
I've posted it before but will again in the next thread.
I made a donation to WCK too. Such a great organization!
Thank you, SueJ.
That was exactly what I was going to comment…this is where I donated this week 👍
Thanks, Dawn.
Yes that's where I've been donating
Thank you, Josephine.
I just donated to WCK through link on Instagram. Phil (Everybody Loves Raymond, Somebody Feed Phil, etc.) and Monica Rosenthal are matching donations to WCK.
Good to know. Thanks, Diana.
Mary, Thank you for The Good in Us! ❤️
I hadn’t heard that. Thank you for the suggestion.
How the hell is a call for assassination by a sitting US Senator not behavior that is subject to censure or more severe discipline? That's heinous behavior.
It’s not only heinous but it’s playing right into Putin’s narrative. He’s at war because America and the West want him gone. So stupid.
The "world's greatest deliberative body" is broken. This just happened: "Two Republican Senators (Rubio and Daines)] senators have come under fire for sharing photos of Volodomyr Zelensky on social media after they were reportedly asked not to for the safety of the Ukrainian president."
Exactly
I know the reasons why we're not directly engaging in this war, and those reasons are imperative. And still, it feels shameful.
Exactly.
here's a bit of Lawrence O'Donnell tonight that, grim as it is, reminded me viscerally why we're not directly engaging. I hope it helps someone else.
Somewhat ironically? the first place I was able to find this was at a Russian site - hope I can post this link via comments - https://ok.ru/video/4024602724907?fromTime=936
You can bet that Russia will be playing Lindsey Graham's tweet on a loop on state T.V. There is nothing more helpful to the Russian leaders than to convince their people that the evil United States politicians want to assassinate the leader of the "Great Russian Empire". My point is; Lindsay Graham's tweet was quite helpful to Putin!
Yes--aiding and abetting, as he's been doing all along.
Yes, it was. I wonder if the State Dept has contacted him and told him to keep his stupid mouth shut?
For the GOP to now try to score brownie points on the back of a less-than-successful Trump presidency is reprehensible! This is the time for bipartisan solidarity, not a continuing barrage of lies about their failed leader! This being said, Trump lied constantly and accused all who spoke the truth as “fake news”; Putin is his Russian counterpart!
I long for the day when both are brought to justice and made to pay for their crimes…
If they aren't held accountable the way forward will be much harder.
Precisely. If criminals and dictators are not subjected to the rule of law and brought to justice, many will think their behaviour is socially and morally acceptable.
Dictators =
The first thing a dictator does is to defame, burn down, or discredit the press. He creates his own ‘media’ and only that info is, in his opinion, accurate.
The second thing a dictator does is to give ‘favors’ to his ‘friends.’ He gives them jobs for which they are not likely qualified. He gives them praise, accolades, and approval.
The next thing a dictator does is to defame, smear and denigrate his ‘enemies.’ He fires, discredits and some will kill them. It is not uncommon for those enemies to ‘disappear.’
The dictator establishes that he is in power for ‘life.’ If there are limits for the time in power, they are erased from the ‘new rules.’ No discussion or debates.
The dictator tells lies, misinformation, makes distractions, and ‘spins’ a story to his advantage. Supporters are blindly believing each word despite their personal observations.
Minorities are significantly susceptible to being ruled by ‘different’ rules. Most of the rules are subservient, disregarding people as humans, and inferior as the dictator defines.
Sound familiar? 45 is a master at these and more. Draft-dodging wasn't in the manual, it probably is now.
And he's still going thanks to the enabling of the Republican Party. Merrick Garland really needs to step up.
Agreed. Also, the GOP’s claim that Trump “would have kissed Putin’s ass” is completely delusional. Trump proved over and over again that he liked & admired Putin, and that he believed Putin’s many lies, including the one about the Kremlin having nothing to do with the Skripals’ poisoning in Salisbury, England, when the evidence proved otherwise!!!
I believe that Trump’s subservience to Putin actually encouraged Putin to consider the US as being weak and no doubt helped Putin believe he could do anything he wanted! Trump would not have kicked Putin’s ass; he would have kissed it!
Yeah--Putin didn't need to invade Ukraine bc Donald was doing his dirty work for him--weakening the Western alliance, undermining NATO, creating chaos and instability here. And kissing his ass.
Agree totally with what you meant to say; ya got a key typo, love autocorrect!
Perfect typo.
tdfg was too busy kissing Putin’s ass to kick it. He was a Putin puppet denying Ukraine weapons and trying to destroy NATO.
The gaslighting on the right continues unabated.
Thanks for sending this Mary. I've already donated. Others, please consider doing so. The Ukrainians did NOT deserve this. While they've done brilliantly so far, Russian resources are vast and it's hard to accept how things may go. I only wish I could donate Stinger missiles. They really need help.😒
Thank you, Greg.
Lindsey Graham saying stupid things is nothing new. In fact, it's the norm for him.
This one is incredibly dangerous, though.
Oh, it absolutely is, I agree!
So after Putin takes Ukraine and starts looking at Poland or another NATO country…will we also decline to protect them because Putin might let loose his nukes? He has learned that we won’t risk nuclear war so he can do anything he wants. If this is the case, then why not admit we are already in this this war and call his bluff, which we will have to do eventually…at least the brave people of Ukraine would be defended. How can we possibly sit and watch them get annihilated like this? I bet if we simply added them to NATO right now that would be enough to stop Putin.
I agree with everything MJK said here.
The United States has proven over and over that we will not come to the aid of those that Putin chooses to murder and grind into dust - not in Syria (after Obama said he had a red line that shouldn’t be crossed, was crossed repeatedly & he did nothing) nor in Georgia or Crimea and now we are all watching Ukraine be decimated and its citizens killed and displaced.
Yeah, yeah, I get it - nukes. This is exactly why no one should have them. But they are out there and this is how we - and the rest of NATO - respond? I am ashamed of President Biden and the United States (& NATO) on how they have capitulated to a madman. (Money & arms help but not when there aren’t enough people to use them because they are getting wiped out.) When BIden said at a press conference that “we will absolutely not send troops to Ukraine” he should have just had the backbone to say “Help yourself Putin”.
I want to know why Ukraine hasn’t been admitted to NATO and Russia kicked out? If a NATO country can destroy other countries at will then why the fuck are they allowed to even be in NATO?
We all know what is going to happen. Putin is going to destroy Ukraine and murder Zelenskyy, his family and his Cabinet - maybe even publicly to keep everyone else in line. I guess the good ol US will just issue a strongly worded condemnation and then sit next to Russia’s delegates at the next NATO meeting.
To those who will tell me I’m reacting purely emotionally or “Nukes!” - save your words. First off, I am emotional about this - I’m pissed and disheartened and grieving for Ukraine. Second, I’ve also given a great deal of thought to this situation - reasoned, well researched thought. Yes, what I propose would have enormous risks but are we really going to sit back and watch Ukraine be utterly destroyed? Where is our humanity?
And as MJK says - will Biden & NATO decide that defending Poland with boots on the ground is you know, gee, well, sorry Poland, it’s just too risky. Your sacrifice will be for the greater good - that none of the rest of us get wiped out. Suck it up Poland. Just like Ukraine had to. After Poland, then what? Hungary? Slovakia?
The rest of the world is watching and those who have nuclear weapons (China, N Korea) and those who want them (Iran) are absolutely taking note.
First, Russia is not in NATO so can't be kicked out. Secondly, if a NATO country is attacked all bets are off. We will vigorously defend whichever country it might be. Unlike the prior guy in the oval office, Biden takes our treaty commitments seriously.
So be it Poland, Latvia, Estonia or whomever, we will defend it, even knowing full scale nuclear war is quite possible.
That being said, I do understand the frustration and wish there was more we could do. I am just glad we have competent adults in charge now, rather than the incompetents that were in the administration before.
I did make a mistake. I was thinking of Russia’s membership in the UN and how, incredibly, they are on the Security Council. So yes, I was wrong about that.
So, in your way of thinking and you are not the only person to bring this point up to me, since Ukraine isn’t in NATO they don’t matter? We should just watch them be completely destroyed and say “Oh well, guess you should’ve been in NATO”.
What about our shared humanity?
Absolutely - I can't see Putin being satisfied with just invading and taking over Ukraine.
I have the feeling he will continue to attack other countries as long as the rest of the world lets him.
First; the U.S. is not standing idly by. We are doing what we can within reason. The U.S. has made it clear that we will protect any NATO member with our full-force should Putin venture one inch inside NATO territory. O.K. so what if we call his bluff and it turns-out that he isn't bluffing. What if Putin figures he is going to die soon and he really doesn't care about his people or anyone else. After all, he is an extreme narcissistic sociopath. Besides, he has a nuclear-proof bomb shelter. Sure, there won't be anything left to come out to, but his days are numbered anyway. So mutually assured total destruction is just fine with him! So what then? Instead of hundreds dying in Ukraine, we have millions dead and society gone. So then is your bluster worth it? It is easy to sit on the sidelines and make ridiculous claims. It is a little different when you have responsibility for millions of lives and society in general!
I hear what you are saying, and understand your points. I just don’t see this stopping with Ukraine…and Putin has now learned that he can effectively knee-cap us just by threatening to use his nukes. Hopefully the prospect of a protracted resistance by these stubborn Ukrainians will deter him.
Putin cannot knee-cap us with threats. Frankly, Putin is deathly afraid of the U.S. military. He knows better than to venture beyond Ukraine into any NATO Member Nation. He knows the U.S. will defend them. There is no doubt!
Again, since Ukraine isn’t in NATO we should just watch them be destroyed and say “Oh well, guess you should’ve been in NATO?”
According to your second argument, we should let Ukraine be destroyed to save the rest of us from the possibility of nuclear war. Do they really matter so little?
I wasn’t talking about bluffing or bluster. I acknowledged his mental health issues and the extreme risk but I don’t believe we can decide to designate an entire country as a sacrifice for the rest of us.
Thanks for the insult, calling my thoughts “ridiculous claims”. I’ll refrain from returning the favor.
The bottom line is that it is what it is! Nobody wants to sacrifice Ukraine or any country for that matter. So it isn't about that. It is about recognizing the reality of the situation. Putin is afraid of the U.S. military. We could easily defeat Russia in a war. However, they have more nukes than us and if they decide to use them it is over for all of us. Again, the U.S. will not stand-by if Russia messes with any NATO member and I can assure you that Putin will not. He knows better!
We disagree. I think it is about sacrificing Ukraine.
About those nuclear weapons - Russia has a bit more than we do but both countries have ridiculous amounts. I found two different counts online - US @ 6550, Russia @ 6800 and another was US @ 5550 and Russia @ 5977. The small difference hardly matters.
Yeah, we can agree to disagree. I worked for the military for many years and saw things I cannot talk about in any specificity. I'll just say this; The U.S. has many impenetrable top secret underground sites designed to last about two weeks in the event of nuclear war. The sole purpose of them is to command a second and third strike from submarines and other locations around the world to insure complete devastation. It is all gamed out. We often talked about the possibility of being in there when it happened what we would do. There was a general consensus among my co-workers that we really did not want to be in there and also did not want to survive that kind of devastation. My point is that the possibility of nuclear war is very real and is no joke. Not something to be taken lightly and not something that we should ever gamble with. If the U.S. needs to use force against another nuclear power, it will do so, but only if there is absolutely no alternative. There are still alternatives here.
I was in the military for years. I agree with you that nuclear war needs to be avoided, is very real and no joke (as if it ever could be one) but I am not okay with sacrificing an entire country to avoid the possibility. I can only hope that the alternatives you speak of would prevent nuclear war and save Ukraine from further destruction and death and are put into place immediately.
The US position on Ukraine reminds me of how reluctant/opposed the US was to getting involved with WWII, even when our govt. knew what the Nazis were doing. It took a direct attack on us at Pearl Harbor to convince people we needed to enter the war.
I wonder if that's what it will take this time - except this time, Putin can launch a nuclear attack. Terrifying.
I know the reasons why we're not directly engaging in this war, and those reasons are imperative. And still, it feels shameful.
Me too. It feels awful even though I understand.
This is a good interview detailing the MANY steps the US can take now, if political will is stronger. Nothing we do will change Putin's calculus, so we should take those steps that will preserve life. https://twitter.com/RichardHurowitz/status/1499813000760410115?s=20&t=SsHE3ddI6kuFX2KtV9mhfA
I am grateful for this column each day. Thank you. Keep coming and talk. Everyone. Come here everyone. Take it on.
Did you see the huge demonstration at the Hague in support of Zelensky & Ukraine? Zelensky did appear on live video from Keiv. Great reception.
Totally wowed me. 🇺🇦💙🇺🇦
Yes. Was excellent.
I donated to The Voices of the Children. Hope it gets through to them. Hearing about the orphaned children in Mariupol, broke my heart.
Thank you, Pati.
I too donated to The Voices of the Children. I had not heard of them before. Paypal sent an email asking if I actually did donate. It is hard to know who to trust these days. I know who I DON'T TRUST.
Heather Cox Richardson: "The U.S., and other countries that belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, are supporting Ukraine from outside its borders. For NATO to take on the fight against Putin’s armies directly in Ukraine runs the risk of uniting the currently demoralized Russian people behind their leader, and enables him to start a war against NATO, which would engulf all of Europe." Enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would start WWIII. I wish it weren't so.
Garry Kasparov, Fiona Hill, and Bill Browder all believe that Putin is wholly uninterested in an off-ramp. They also believe that Putin will deliberately provoke NATO, whether to distract from his Ukraine debacle or domestic unrest, and the US is simply delaying the inevitable. In terms of sanctions, the US isn't exactly leading the way: we're far below the EU. Only the UK has a more abysmal showing.
https://twitter.com/DaveKeating/status/1499752553810214916?s=20&t=RcfAd5NXBSPD-qmhCs5VSA
Fantastic video re UK's laundering of Russian oligarch's billions: https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1499766468610863106?s=20&t=u6KWwO6g0HFzYA7rf4Di6A
I cried all night.
Hi Mary, I just re-read this post and noticed something I missed before. If you know of a way for a donation to go to the Ukrainian military, I'd like to make a donation there too. I originally searched for a way to make a donation to the Ukrainian military but had no success. It's very sad to say, but they probably need weapons even more than they need cots right now. If you do discover a way that seems credible, I'd love to make that happen. As always, thanks for what you do.
I'll put a link in the next post.
I support both WCK and Drs W/out Borders as my charities. Had to suspend for a few months due to financial issues but will restart asap. Good ppl there
Excellent. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this list Mary! I've been wanting to send pet packages.
Mary you’re message elicited some good responses today vs the crazy knee jerkers, at times. Thanks!!
Pretty much : )
It would help if all the allied nations stopped buying Russian oil and gas which hasn't happened yet. Also, every company that is HQ'd in allied nations with a footprint in Russia like McDonalds and Starbucks and on and on and on (thanks to Thom Hartmann for pointing this out on his radio show today) should shut those establishments down. Cut off all avenues of enjoyment for the Russians so they understand that Putin is doing bad things because most older Russians are believing state media lies and not their own relatives in Ukraine.
Militarily, Ukraine needs more fighter jets and missiles that can destroy Russian plans dropping bombs on civilian targets so allied nations should be sending WAY more of those supplies.
Here are three more charities that I found on the Today Show website
Save the Children https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5751&mfc_pref=T&5751.donation=form1
International Rescue Committee https://help.rescue.org/donate/ukraine-acq?ms=ws_resq_top_nav_btn_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb_n6568&initialms=ws_resq_top_nav_btn_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb_n6568
Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/
Also, I just saw this from the Obama Foundation
https://www.obama.org/updates/help-ukraine/
Thanks for doing this Mary.
Thank you Mary for the information for donations. Nothing closer to my heart than IFAW. ❣️
I've been going back and forth on what should be done by our government. I've been listening to Gaslight podcast, reading Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum, the Vindmans, etc. All people much closer to Ukraine and Putin than me. I think there is a strong argument for a no fly zone. I understand our hesitation but for humanitarian reasons, I don't believe we can only do the toughest sanctions in the world and watch. I don't think it will be enough and some of the sanctions are really tough to accomplish. And not just because self interest gets in the way. Actually they are really tough logistically to say nothing of China being NO help. There is a perspective that says: we are already in WW3 and Putin has gotten away with bombing Georgia, Syria, Ukraine once already and he's always threatening nuclear war. What is the difference between Putin and Hitler? It's the same story. We need at a minimum to help the people get out of there are arm the Ukrainians to the teeth. Lindsey Graham is a Putin stooge - I reported his assination tweer to the Twitter police - I hope everybody else does too.
Unfortunately, patience is called for right now. Just believe there are things going that we (and Lindsey Graham et al) do not want or need to know about.
I hope underground internet gurus can get the truth out to the masses in Russia on what is happening.
Journalists are trying. Russians are blindly supporting their cult leader Putin despite seeing evidence of bombs civilian buildings in Ukraine - the ones who haven't fled because they can see the writing on the wall and have the means to get out.
Not all Russians are. Thousands have been arrested for protesting the war. Even children were put behind locked bars in a police wagon and taken in. You can find the photos online.
Plus, you have to look at how completely isolated Russians are from having any kind of non-state controlled media. The last two news sites that were independent were shut down this week and one company’s entire staff have fled Russia to avoid being imprisoned or killed. I haven’t yet heard what has happened to the other company’s staff.
Another worthy organization to help Ukrainians (HIAS): https://act.hias.org/page/37014/donate/1
Shocking to discover I agree with Graham
In the privacy of my home, I have been saying the same since this started. But even I know better than to publically speak it, especially on television. It just feeds the Putin narrative. But covertly, well yes. It is the only way to stop a madman with a huge army and nuclear weapons.
No doubt it's a huge club. Missy Graham is just plain dumb!
The US could attack the electricity sources of all of Russia's military communications, which would make Putin more mad but buy Ukraine more time. This might not work since the invasion has been going on for more than a week.
Consider Save the Children
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are politicians (and businessmen) cut from the same cloth, and the Republican Party made no secret in 2016 that they thought a Russian-friendly Trump candidacy enhanced, rather than diminished Donald Trump’s suitability for president.
Look at the assertive, intelligent, and devastating sanctions levied against the gangsters and their supporters in Russia, coming from nations run by progressive, left leadership in Germany and France. Spearheaded by the United States, from a Congress that has its executive and legislative branches run by the Democratic Party.
And T H A T is why Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine.
The last spasms of the serfdom and race-based hierarchy economies have arrived.
The oligarchs (conservatives) running Russia know their time is almost up. That’s why they’re keeping Navalny alive, for use as a potential bargaining chip.
Make no mistake: the supporters of authoritarianism taking root in countries like the United States, place their faith in a monopolistic, religious fundamentalist, bigoted worldview.
These authoritarian stakeholders preach the same mantra since the 1960s that the John Birch Society did: Government is bad, regulation is bad, unions are bad.
How lucky indeed we are to witness the twilight of their existence .
It is incomprehensible that Biden said we will not send in troops. Why eliminate an option? Graham lost it when he went from talking about the Great Orange Ego as the lunatic he is to sycophancy. It's wrong to shame a person for being a closet LGBTQ, but someone please find one of the guys he has been physical with his lily-white ass to speak publicly. We ought to have someone like France or Sweden provide planes to enforce a no-fly zone at a minimum. Putin's nuclear weapons are deterring intervention in a situation that is no different than when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 or when Iraq invaded Kuwait. It was a mistake to allow Russia to hang onto the USSR's veto seat on the Un Security Council.
I think Americans feel powerless as we can’t stop or interfere with what’s going on in Ukraine. We are so used to being in charge and doing what we think is the right thing. This time doing the right thing will lead to awful things. So, we need to feel empowered. This means we need to donate to groups that’ll help the Ukrainians, boycott companies which won’t leave Russia, stop Russian oil, and continue to pressure lawmakers to help Ukraine with weapons.
Mary I do not understand why the Ukrainians scream for a No Fly Zone, Which is declined flatly, goes unheard, BUT NO ONE considers selling the Ukrainians Enough Jets & Planes for them to construct No Fly Zone themselves, We Give Ukraine Weapons, A Plane Is A Weapon, its so helpless a feeling to just watch the Russians Invade Ukraine Daily, Makes My Blood Boil Because Ukraine is a democracy!
Thanks Mary, for not forgetting the animals (IFAW).
Here are some links for how to help out animals and their guardians; animals that were left behind due to circumstances beyond the owners' control, and animals in zoos and shelters:
https://animalfoodbank.org/supporting-ukraine
https://opencages.org/blog/help-animals-in-ukraine
https://www.ifaw.org/uk/news/support-animals-ukraine?ms=KONDF220320075
https://www.charities.org/news/how-humane-society-international-taking-action-ukraine-and-its-animals%E2%80%94and-how-you-can-help
I think UNICEF should be a good place to donate. I have found the following sources good for news ( I am a Russia and East Europe Specialist by education and grad school, did research for DOD and did special foreign service in Russia and Ukraine for 1 year): UK Channel 4 live on youtube , DW ( Germany) on youtube, Kyiv Independent on Facebook and Warsaw Institute. I have no doubt Rachel would be great if she weren't away. Ari V. is doing well .Amanpour havs good interviews. Watch Rrt Lt Col Alexander Vindman on military matters.
I recently gave to Doctors without Borders, but will also give to IFAW. I cannot imagine losing or leaving behind a beloved fur (or feathered) family member!
Chris Hayes did a great commentary on March 5 of the historical context of Ukraine, Putin and DJT. Putin didn’t have to make waves for 4 years bc DJT did exactly what Putin wanted. Criticized NATO and our allies, tried to blackmail Zelensky, and sucked up to dictators.
Yes, please add WCKitchen to the list of organizations to help the refugees from Ukraine. They fed more people in Puerto Rico after the hurricane than the Red Cross. Doctors without borders is a wonderful org.too.
Even Tho I'm Getting Militant About The Circumstances it doesn't mean I'm Blind To The Humanitarian Crisis. A Free Sovereign Democracy Invaded by Russia is WRONG we must RESIST every way we know how! #IStandWithUkraine
Sane people do not want a nuclear war. While agreeing with that idea, I keep thinking 'what if it was us, the U.S. which was being invaded, and we were denied the help we desperately needed and asked for'? Would sanctions be enough for us?
We should hack the Russian state-controlled media and broadcast accurate news from Ukraine - the devastation their army is inflicting on Putin's orders; interviews with bewildered Russian POWs (showing the Ukrainians treating them well); the systematic attacks on power, heating, and water supplies; the Russian shelling of the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe; inspiring footage of Zelensky, other Ukrainian leaders, and Ukrainians and others traveling there from all over the world to help defend the country against the invasion.
We should also be putting all of the above on thumb drives and smuggling those into the country to be distributed the way samizdat bootleg literature was in the Soviet era.
We should use drones to fly in medical supplies, water purification tablets, freeze-dried food, solar/hand-crank-powered radios, burner phones, GPS units, and space blankets.
We should be delivering massive shipments of small arms and ammunition, military manuals, and more Javelins and Stingers to the border, coordinating with Ukrainians fighting the Russians so they can pick them up - drive trucks up to the border, hand them the keys, and let them take the vehicles along with their loads.
For once I agree with Graham about what needs to be done to Putin. However, we all know that Donald would look the other way while Putin invaded and then try to negotiate a deal for a Trump hotel there...
The US could send a 'Good Will' mission to Ukraine. To spread good will. Peacekeepers. See Yes Prime Minster "A Victory For Democracy". The US has done this before, sending deterrence forces to make Putin stand down. Other people with a grasp of history could explain. I only know British comedies.