As the World Twists
March 2,2025

Had a situation that I did not think possible. Ran into a fella that didn't watch the news at all Friday and had no idea what had happened at the White House. Now this man is what most anyone would call a fairly normal individual. He manages quite a number of employees for a company that prides itself on its DEI values and though he himself leans conservative, he's not militant about it...doesn't seem militant about anything, really. He takes his job seriously and is not a boat-rocker. He's well-liked, always has a positive attitude and an easy smile. I think a nice word to describe him would be "affable". He asked me what happened and I gave him a brief rundown...in short, it was an ugly encounter. I explained that, while a mineral deal was to be signed and a ceasefire was being discussed, it didn't appear that Mr. Zelenskyy was prepared to move ahead without assurances.

"Well, what did he want?", my friend asked.

"What he wanted", I replied, "was the signature of the United States on a piece of paper that guaranteed the integrity of his country."

"He's not going to get that," my friend said flatly. "He may not realize there've been some changes in our government."

Well, yes.

I see some some posts on Facebook and signs in real life that express support for Ukraine. When someone declares that they're "for Ukraine", I often wonder what that means to them. Do they simply wish good will to the people? Would they like to see the Ukrainians smash the Russian invader and send him fleeing back to his own country in disgrace? I think I'd like to see those things myself. But how far does their support go? Are some supporters prepared to liquidate their assets and donate everything to the cause? Probably not. Are they prepared to grab a rifle to go and fight? That does happen; I'm thinking of the "Flying Tigers", here. But I'm guessing that's likely a no, also. Would these folks stand right in front of a fellow American who has lost everything in either California or North Carolina and explain to them the importance of giving billions of dollars to aid in this foreign situation? Yes, some just might do this. But are they ready to send their own son or daughter overseas or tell a neighbor that they think it's right that that person's child needs to go and fight? While some may have a deep enough courage of their convictions to do these things, I expect that many do not and are the type of "supporter" that's brave and outspoken as long as it's someone else's money or someone else's kid

I recall an interview, during the presidential campaign, where Donald Trump, when asked about what he wanted in relation to support for Ukraine, replied, in a slightly exasperated tone, that what he wanted was for people to stop dying. To me, that sounds like something a classic liberal would say. I'm old enough to remember seeing anti-Vietnam War rallies on TV where protesters held up signs that simply read "Stop The War". Mr. Trump echoed such sentiments Friday and one cannot help to notice that none of this was focused on afterward by a certain segment of world opinion. What I heard asked instead was how could he speak to an ally, a leader whose country is being torn apart by war, in this way? When discussing the ending of a war, are liberals really focusing on Trump and Vance's lack of a polite demeanor while people are being slaughtered? What the fuck has happened to liberalism?

So although I think the spectacle at the White House Friday was sorry and unfortunate, and while I find completely unimportant Trump and Vance seeming to have their feelings hurt in referring to Zelenskyy's rudeness, lack of gratitude and disrespect, I want to thank Donald Trump for at least trying to broker some kind of arrangement that would stop the fighting, if perhaps only temporarily and more; I want to thank him for not pledging the lives of American troops as a potential bargaining chip as part of this process. I want to thank him for at least trying to restore peace. I know that some who may be reading this are nauseated by the mere sight of that man's name but, as I see it, he's the only in a position to actually do something about it who seems to want the war to stop.

I want to thank JD Vance for using the "D" word, DIPLOMACY, a word I don't hear often enough in regards to this war. When Vance mentioned diplomacy, Mr. Zelenskyy asked what kind of diplomacy he meant? What the fuck kind does he need to mean? From this and other comments where Zelenskyy says Russia should not be trusted in negotiations, I get the impression that, on some level, he does not feel a diplomatic solution is realistic. He may be right but, if the effort is not made, the war will simply continue. Following Friday's chaos, U.S. Secretary of Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during an interview that a European leader told him privately that the war should continue for another year, at which time the exhauted Russia would be begging for peace. There was a one-time Austrian lance-corporal (as I believe Field Marshal Erich von Manstein used to refer to Hitler) who felt the same way; that the Russians would tire. Well, we all know how that worked out. The Russians are already using North Korean troops...will the Chinese be next? They were used during the Korean War when the Chinese and Russians had a common interest. Why not now? And how did that end? A stalemate that persists to this very day. If attrition is truly the behind-closed-doors attitude of a majority of European leadership that has any influence in conducting this war, I will say, as an American taxpayer, that I wish them well with their endeavor but I think we, the United States, need to go in another direction.

And I think it's natural that a people in the form of a nation desire to decide for themselves what their true priorities are and how far they're willing to go in a given circumstance. Some nations are in a position to not have such decisions imposed upon them; they'll make their own choices, no matter how anyone -ally, enemy or even a vocal minority of their own citizens- judges their decisions. That is the reality of things.