It’s Memorial Day weekend. Please consider these headlines as you put flowers on family members’ graves, remember the soldiers who fought for our security, and/or rush to a picnic.
Both Russia and China are playing with fire, betting that European nations and the U.S. together in NATO are tired and won’t care as they make their land and water grabs.
- Ukraine? Russia wants the land.
- Israel? Oh oh! Russia has a new dependency on Iran; Iran is providing the drones that Russia uses to attack Ukraine; China has provided aid to Russia, too.
- Estonia? Russia’s removal of border markets is just the beginning. After, or maybe now, Russia’s next targets are Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—all members of NATO.
- Taiwan? China insists it owns Taiwan, but Taiwan has never been part of China.
- Philippines? Oops. China is busy claiming waters and islands in the South China Sea, Japanese waters, and more.
When your house is on fire, do you wait until the roof falls in before you call the fire department?
Right now, the world is on fire. Both the attackers — Russia and China are totalitarian dictatorships who want the land and resources; they oppose freedom.
It is time for us to stand firm together. NATO—the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—has 32 member countries, including the U.S. Its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wants to untie Ukraine’s hands, allowing it to attack deep into Russia. This is the right thing to do because for Russia and China to take the Western World—Western democracies—seriously, Ukraine must win. While it’s on its back, Russia and China just want more. Their appetites are unsatiable.
People who remember WWII or have studied it will note that one of the reasons the war got so big was that first, the UK and the U.S. (other countries, too) stood back. Initially, they did not take Germany seriously as it rolled into country after country. Once the Maginot Line fell in France, the UK and the U.S. suddenly realized they would be next.
It takes teamwork to stop big wars, so read the stories below. Note that a complete list would be longer.
As you read, remember here, we have 112 Members of Congress—all Republicans—whose votes lined up on the side of Russia and Putin. They either played the scaredy cat role or betrayed our country with their votes.
As we celebrate Memorial Day, we must stand together to stop the fire in Ukraine. As we do, we will send a strong message to both Russia and China: Don’t mess with democracy; Keep your strongman tactics inside your borders.
If we want national security, we will stand together—no more standing by as the fire gets bigger!