Safe skies

What can we do with a “do-nothing Congress”? Fix the problem ourselves.

Let’s face it, when it comes to Ukraine, America’s leaders have abandoned us. They put up bullshit arguments about the border, Israel and Taiwan while they let our one ally in Europe that is actually fighting on our side struggle and die without the ammunition they need to win.

Backing Ukraine is the best thing Americans can do to deter the worse actors in the world — the fascist regime Putin has put in place in Russia, the communists in China, and the religious zealots that run Iran.

I’ve never been a big proponent of war before. Invading Afghanistan and Iraq was stupid. The domino-theory that dragged us into Vietnam was dumb. You don’t win over friends by dropping bombs on them. You hear that Israel?

But Ukraine is different. It’s a little country that wants to be like the best in us. A fledgling democracy. It was invaded by the biggest bully on the planet for no better reason than a fake nostalgia for a lost Russian empire. Even if the worst occurred and Ukraine fell back into authoritarianism again — at least it would be “our little dictator” (the way Nixon said G. Gordon Liddy was “our little nazi.”)

A Ukrainian “win” — which pins Russia down and keeps the bear behind its borders — frees America to focus on other issues. It allows Europe to improve trade and economic growth instead of wasting money on walls to repulse the future Russian attacks on the former members of the Soviet Union. Finland and Sweden would be less worried about a Russian march to the sea through their countries.

A Ukrainian “loss” gives Russia control over one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. A flat plain with plenty of water and rich black soil that feeds most of Europe, Africa and parts of Asia. Do you think Putin would hesitate to use starvation as a weapon? That loss would be a template for China to follow into Taiwan, and show Iran that it’s cheap drones can win wars.

Ukraine is far from perfect. It has a long history of corruption and dictatorship. (It was one of Rudy Giuliani’s favorite clients for his bullshit international security scheme and where Hunter Biden found easy money sitting on corporate boards). Critics say funding Ukraine only feeds the fat cats behind the front lines. (Interesting that those same folks believe in trickle down tax cuts for America — if tax cuts “trickle down” wouldn’t mis-directed aid eventually trickle down to the people you are trying to help?)

But few American funds are going directly to Ukraine. There’s shockingly little humanitarian aid. The vast majority of those billion dollars we are paying ourselves — to build new weapons and ammunition while we send the old stuff to the battlefields in Eastern Europe. Most of our “aid” is simply not throwing out our old weapons. We are sending them overseas to be shot at the Russians instead. Recycling at its best.

No country or ally is perfect, but Ukraine has had an amazing spirit of resistance against the Nazi’s, the communists, and now the kleptocracy and fascism of Putin’s Russia. It’s a good bet that this smaller country can repel the Russians – hell they might even put enough pressure on their giant neighbor that Russian politics fall apart and Putin himself is “retired” (Wagner revolution anyone?).

Like almost everything in American politics these days, we are more likely to act “against” our own best interest. We will fight over border walls and call desperate refugees an “invasion.” (That shit must make the Ukrainians laugh — a real invasion includes tanks). We won’t fix the border problem just so we can have something to argue about in the election.

So I’m putting my money where my mouth is. I donated directly to Ukraine’s war effort. If these fuckers won’t use my taxes to do the right thing, I will.

You can do it too. Safe skies is a project of Yale history professor Timothy Snyder. It’s a Ukrainian run project to knock down the missiles and drones that Putin is sending every night. And it’s working. They are finding and bringing down those fucking Iranian drones before they hit people’s homes. For just a few million dollars, they can expand the system to cover large parts of the country.

In the ever-changing tactics of war, drones and missiles and anti-drone/missile systems are THE WEAPON. Without control of the air, it becomes a new version of trench warfare. Back to World War I anyone?  With both sides digging in and lobbing artillery to weaken the other’s lines. It’s a terrible way to fight a war. But it means a little country like Ukraine can fight off the bigger bully and keep him in his cage. It means Ukraine can win.

Safe to donate

Possibly the best part of this little donation? It’s safe. Your transaction is safe. I trust the money is going to where they say it is going, and best of all — they didn’t put my email on a list.

Unlike other political donations that put you in a hellscape of endless Act Blue emails or MAGA appeals and text messages from Nikki Haley, I got a confirmation and that’s it.

No begging, no follow ups, no fucking share button to tell Mark Fuckerberg what I have done.

The politicians would learn a lot from this campaign. Do something useful with our money and stop begging like a meth-head at an off ramp. I’d rather give to the meth-head. At least my donation would make somebody “happy.” Political donations just seem to go into TV commercials that make everybody mad.

It would be better if our leaders would vote to do the right thing with the money we already give them, but that ship has sailed until at least 2025. (I know wildly hopeful that it will ever get better, but what can I say — I’m a fucking bubbly optimist…).

But they won’t do anything to help Ukraine; so I did.