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2022 - Putin it all together

In the early morning of February 24th, 2022, Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation, invaded Ukraine.

It’s easy, sitting here in my comfortable house on a beautiful day in Oakland, to ignore that. There’s really no benefit to me speaking out, and politics is always a touchy subject. But it’s just too much to ignore.

Note that I say Putin invaded Ukraine, and not Russia. As someone who lived through Donald Trump’s America, I got a glimpse of what it’s like to live in a country whose leader has gone mad. I know, or strongly suspect, that most Russians do not want this war, and that even more who claim they do only think that because they have been fed a steady diet of lies.

Putin wants death. He wants to shake and rattle his fist until, in his own words, “he hopes he his heard”. Well, I hear you. I hear a sad, pathetic little bully. I hear a man whom history will condemn. I feel sorry for you, trapped in your own little tiny world where the only answers are violence. Nobody in the world believes any of your toxic bullshit. There is no genocide in Ukraine. There is no hatred against Russians. You don’t look strong; you look sad and lonely.

Leave the people of Ukraine alone. Take your tanks, and your planes, and your bare chested toxic masculinity, and go home. Nothing good will come of this; not for you, not for Ukraine, and most of all not for the people of Russia. This does not burnish the reputation of Russia; it makes Russia a pariah. Ukraine is not a perfect country. Neither is America, by the way. For that matter, neither is Canada. Should we invade Canada? Bring our version of peace to those maple-syrup-loving wanna-be Americans? Should France invade Britain? Australia invade New Zealand? Your sad geopolitical worldview is anachronistic and would be actually kind of hilarious if it wasn’t so sad and serious.

And so, many people will die. You won’t win. You don’t even really know what you want. There is no future in this strategy. Along the way there will be suffering, but the sun will rise again, as it always does.

I’m sorry this had to happen, Ukraine. I’m sorry you had to live next to the crazy neighbor. I hope he comes to his senses soon and there is a minimum of bloodshed.