On Ukraine, NATO, America, Comedians and Environmentalists

Thank you my friend MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. for posting the perspective from theepochtimes.com author Dennis Prager

Kudos to
1. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who seems to be the most courageous leader in the world today.
2. to former president Donald Trump 'who had the courage to demand that our NATO allies live up to their obligations with regard to military spending;' and President Vladimir Putin did not invade Ukraine while Trump was president. Putin feared Trump. Neither Putin nor anyone else fears President Joe Biden."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Zelensky) path, from comic, to symbol of courage
When Zelenskiy was elected in April 2019, at the age of 41, the Russian commentator Sergey Parkhomenko said: “He is weak, he does not have a religion, he does not have a nationality.” It was meant as a criticism, even though all these reasons were precisely why people had voted for Zelenskiy.
He is not intimidating. He does not come from a political background. He is a Russian speaker from the centre of the country. But, most of all, to Ukrainians, he was recognisable and he was funny.
That nice guy off that TV show Servant of the People. You know, the one where the geeky history teacher becomes the president overnight. The Paddington voice guy.
Beyond Ukraine, until last week, he was simply referred to as “a comedian who became president”.
Initial coverage of his landslide victory – in which he won 73.2% of the vote – was derisory. What were the Ukrainians thinking? Who is this guy anyway? He is hardly Ronald Reagan. What a joke.
But the word “comedian” is misleading. It suggests someone who is not serious, and a solo performer.
Zelenskiy is neither of these things. He has never been a standup. The tradition of “monologue comedy” is fairly new in post-Soviet countries. Also, as is now obvious from the viral videos of Zelenskiy’s pre-presidential life, his career may have been in entertainment, but he took it extremely seriously.
https://rumble.com/vww8m9-volodymyr-zelenskyy-zelensky-path-from-comic-to-symbol-of-courage.html

Commentary background {[theepochtimes.com/on-ukraine-comedians-nato-america-and-environmentalists_4309027.htm]}
No. 1: The NATO excuse
A widely offered explanation for the Russian invasion of Ukraine is that Russia—which at this time essentially means President Vladimir Putin—fears the expansion of NATO to its borders, especially Ukraine. The argument is often presented as an analogy: How would the United States react if Mexico had a mutual defense pact with Russia and received weapons from Russia?
A second explanation is that Russia is “paranoid” as a result of its having been devastated by the invasions of Napoleon’s France in the 19th century and Hitler’s Germany in the 20th. This was the excuse that many professional excuse makers made for the Soviet Union’s shooting down—without any warning—Korean Air Lines flight 007 in 1983, killing all 269 passengers and crew.
“The Russians are paranoid” became a widespread explanation. Seymour Hersh, the best-known New York Times investigative reporter for decades, wrote a book on the shooting down of KAL 007. As described in a 1986 New York Times book review, “On the Soviet side, writes Mr. Hersh, there was paranoia.”
When I was a graduate student at Columbia University’s Russian Institute, I regularly encountered the “paranoid” explanation for Soviet/Russian policies. It struck me then, and even more so now, as pathologic or false, or both. Russia is by far the largest country on Earth, spanning approximately one-ninth of all the world’s land surface. When that fact is combined with Russia’s vast nuclear weaponry, the “paranoia” explanation for Russian aggression is rendered absurd.

It is even more absurd when one considers the countries Russia allegedly fears will invade them. Which one of their Western-border countries—Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine—is likely to invade Russia? Wasn’t every one of them invaded by Russia? Shouldn’t every one of them be paranoid?

We’ll end the “paranoid” discussion with this rule of history: Generally speaking, wars are either between two police states or between a police state and a free state. And the latter are nearly always initiated or provoked by the police state. Russia has nothing to fear from its neighbors. Its neighbors have plenty to fear from Russia.
No. 2: America is watching, not intervening.

I know of no American, on the Right or the Left, who has called for sending the U.S. military into Ukraine. But every American should feel awful—morally and as an American—about America sitting by and watching the first major invasion of a peaceful country since Hitler and Stalin. One reason is that since World War II, the weaker nations of the world have all held onto the hope that should they be attacked by a stronger nation, Americans would come to their aid.

America is aiding Ukraine with arms and economic sanctions, but as I watch peaceful Ukraine devoured by aggressive Russia, I can’t help but think that it appears that evil will triumph—and lead to more evil on Earth. I have never agreed with the throwaway line, “America is not the world’s policeman.” Does the world not need a policeman? And if not America, who? China? Russia? The U.N.?

If the strongest boy in high school, one whom the weakest boys and girls looked to for protection, decided one day to watch rather than to protect them as they were beaten by the school bully, even if there was good reason for the lack of intervention, wouldn’t that be a very sad day? And wouldn’t it affect the way the protector saw himself?

Most Americans see themselves as protectors of the weak against bully nations. This is the first time in our lifetime that America has abandoned that role.

No. 3: A comedian is the world’s most courageous political leader.
By general consensus among the world’s media and world’s nations, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the most courageous leader in the world today.
For many people, this is particularly remarkable since Zelenskyy’s professional background is that of a comedian. It strikes most people as amazing that a comedian turns out to be the world’s most inspiring leader.
That, of course, was the reason so many dismissed Donald Trump when he ran for president: “He has no political experience, he’s just a wealthy real estate developer.” However, that real estate developer also turned out to be the most courageous leader in the world. Honest haters of Trump must at least acknowledge his courage—just as supporters must acknowledge his lack of a filter between his brain and his mouth.
It was Trump who had the courage to demand that our NATO allies live up to their obligations with regard to military spending. Ironically, thanks to Putin, the NATO countries are finally doing so. It was Trump who uncovered a deep state of corruption in nearly every major American governmental institution. It was Trump who took on the mainstream media, regarded by half of America as little better than Pravda, the Soviet newspaper. It was Trump who had the courage to do what president after president and Congress after Congress called for but never acted on: moving the American embassy in Israel to Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. He did this despite the opposition of almost every world leader and his own State Department. If that’s not courage, what is?
And it remains a fact that Putin did not invade Ukraine while Trump was president. Putin feared Trump. Neither Putin nor anyone else fears President Joe Biden."

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I get NATO, I get the threat of an all out Nuclear possibility, this madman is not going to stop. I think all of the world leaders, US and it’s Allie’s need to denounce now with the threat of direct military support for the Ukraine. Be damned the consequences, how anyone with a conscience can allow this to continue is beyond me.

One would think that the worlds leaders have had this discussion and already have a plan, or am I an optimist?

This is a peaceful country who left behind the very Tyranny (as a government) they currently face.

I will stop, but I am saddened by the lack of resolve globally, enough is enough, we are already headed toward all our war, why not press it, we either call his bluff or end it on the battlefield.

Excellent share MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D.