There are perks that come with being a versatile translator. Last weekend I went to the shooting range with a group of foreign volunteers. They’d driven from Europe in a convoy to deliver 20 vehicles to various units of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. I got to practice too.
Americans cannot give what they do not have. Those Americans who supported sending money and supplies to Ukraine did so based on the promise that this would be a “quick” war, lasting weeks maybe months at most. But yet almost two years and nearly $100 billion there’s no end in sight. Having come so freshly after a humiliating defeat in a twenty year long war the American appetite for drawn out combat is significantly diminished. Our economy is crashing hard and the middle and lower class are getting hit hardest. The fact that the US government has sent more than $70 billion to Ukraine since the start of the war and yet could only offer victims of the worst wildfires in modern American history $700 per family did not go over well. Wether or not we have any sort of responsibility toward Ukraine is highly debatable, the fact that we have a responsibility to take care of our own, is not. The fact that our government appears to care more about Ukraine than our own borders also doesn’t do much to help the cause of Ukrainians. It’s not the fault of the Ukrainian people that the current administration is a laughingstock, that the American economy is crashing, that the borders are unsecured or that we are essentially one very bad day away from a civil war ripping this country apart. But since those are every day realities that Americans have to face and since we are not going to be receiving foreign aide from anyone to help us out we have to secure our own oxygen masks before assisting others.
Thank you, Dr. Tara, for your perspective from inside the US. I agree completely that Americans’ (or any people’s) first responsibility is “to take care of our own.” But I think it’s misleading to pose this as an either / or situation where supporting Ukraine is considered neglecting one’s own. On the contrary, allowing russia’s attack on Ukraine to drag on indefinitely seriously compromises global security. This just invites more instability, as we've seen since Hamas brutally attacked Israel earlier this month. And the number of challenges facing Americans and calling for American resources keeps increasing… It's not just about money. That russia has been allowed by the US and NATO to maintain its unprovoked and unjustifiable attack on Ukraine for over 600 days is a threat to global security and to US domestic affairs.
Except it is precisely an either or situation. The only legitimate way for the United States government to raise money is via taxes the majority of which are paid for by the American public. The US government pays for everything with money that is taken from American citizens at gunpoint without their consent. Well that’s how they would pay for it if they could pay but at this point the US government can never possibly pay its debt. The US government is $33 trillion in debt. There are only 300 million Americans. How many generations of Americans should be expected to pay to protect Ukraine? For that matter exactly how much of my paycheck do Ukrainians have the right to? The government absolutely has to choose where it spends its money because money is a finite resource and when the government simply prints more of it, it means that the money in my bank account is worth less.
From what I’ve seen the danger posed by Russia fighting over Ukraine is entirely hypothetical. Lots of bad things could happen, they also might not, it’s hard to know. At the end of the day though Putin isn’t about to send troops to try and invade America. Theres a zero percent chance I wake up tomorrow to Russians driving through my town. There’s a nearly 100% chance someone goes through my county with a carload full of meth and fentanyl that came up from Mexico via the cartels. There’s a 100% chance that there are homeless Hawaiians and a devastated community that will likely never recover. There’s a 100% chance of there being American veterans living on the street or being denied the services our government promised them. I don’t know what effects Russia MIGHT have on the American economy but there is a 100% chance that I’m going to have to pick and choose which bills I pay because the government charges me a ridiculous interest rate on my student loans while also taking about 25% of my paycheck for various taxes and services.
Russia isn’t going to start a war with a NATO country, it certainly isn’t going to invade the U.S. so whatever threat it might pose is rather distant. The threat of my child overdosing on fentanyl if we go to the wrong house for Halloween or because some kid at his school gives him something that’s laced or tainted, the threat of losing our home and everything we’ve worked for because the interest rates on my loans are going up and my paycheck isn’t, the threat of an election that has riots and unrest written all over it, those are immediate threats and my family is in a better position than most.
So yes it’s definitely an either or situation and the American government needs to prioritize the needs of Americans first because that’s the purpose of a government, and any government that fails to do that loses whatever legitimacy it might claim.
Yes, things look bleak for Americans in the US. But who is responsible for the American government and its actions? You and me and our fellow US citizens. I see the threat that russia poses *firsthand* (and russia has many methods of destabilizing other countries and polities besides outright military invasion) as I've been living in Ukraine since 2005. And I will continue to urge our government to use its power to stop russia's unjust assault on Ukraine, because allowing russia impunity in Ukraine signals to russia that it can use its power to encourage terrorist groups and regimes in the Middle East, to meddle with European politics, and to influence American domestic politics... and we will just suffer the consequences.
I do not see how the American people are responsible for our government since in order for someone to be responsible for something they must have some control over it. The American people have no say or control over our government. The federal government is completely corrupt, it is in no way beholden to the American people. There is no peaceful way for American citizens to achieve any sort of meaningful change within the government. Our intelligence agencies and media industry are equally as corrupt so even if through some miracle the corruption in the government could be successfully eradicated the American people don’t have the accurate information necessary for them to make good informed decisions. We have failed to maintain any sort of unified American vision, moral system, or identity so throwing some tea in the harbor version 2.0 would be unlikely to be as successful as the original. So no I don’t think the American people have any particular responsibility for the government since they have no control over it.
You claim that Russia “uses its power to encourage terrorist groups and regimes in the Middle East, to meddle with European politics, and to influence American domestic politics”. Our government is guilty of the same. We supported Bin Laden against the Soviets and essentially created him as a major leader. We just have $100 billion to Iran. (Of course our interference is why Iran went from one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East to one of the most hardline conservative Muslim countries in the Middle East.) The things we did to destabilize Syria and Libya are horrifying. We spent nearly two decades in Iraq fighting a war that started under false pretenses. We spent twenty years in Afghanistan when the war absolutely could have been decisively won in the first two years and in the end we left the country to the same evil thugs that were running it in the first place we just left them with a bunch of our higher powered military weapons. Weapons that surprise surprise found their way to Hamas. Don’t get me started on all the destabilizing shenanigans in South America. There isn’t a place on earth that doesn’t experience American meddling, America’s behavior in the unrest in Ukraine circa 2014 was nothing short of meddling.
The American government uses social media companies to attempt to interfere with American domestic politics all the time. Not only that but political persecutions have become the norm. I have no doubts the Russian government is doing everything you accused it of, but I also know with 100% certainty that our own government is doing it as well.
There was no full scale invasion. AUF was the biggest army in Europe (excluding Turkey) NATO trained and well equipped. Russia intervened with numerically inferior forces to prevent what would have been a full scale invasion of the Donbas by AUF.
1) "There was no full scale invasion" ... of what? by whom? when?
2) What is AUF?
3) Are you aware that "the Donbas" is a loose term used to refer to a region of Ukraine rich in coal?
4) Yes, russia did invade that region of Ukraine in 2014 and russian military is continuing to occupy parts of it -- in complete violation of international law.
AFU is what I meant to write. I use the word Donbas to refer to the russophone population persecuted and bombed by Kiev. Full scale invasion is your phrase, with which I disagree. I do not think it wise to talk of law when Kiev is the creature of the world’s most lawless country -USA.
Your grouping on that target is more than impressive!! It's commendable that you took on such an unusual challenge but it's proof that you continue to adapt to the circumstances. I imagine you must have felt some level of apprehension about "needing" to know how to do this.
“Defending democracy?” In Ukraine? It would be the funniest joke if it was not the scariest tragedy for so many. You are “lying behind the new American gun,” your salary is paid by Americans, your services (from water and gas to transportation, fire protection and ambulances, paid by Americans... Your government closed all oppositional parties, arrested orthodox priests and closed churches, refuses elections and steals by billions.
You lost every sense of right and wrong, decency, etc.
Americans cannot give what they do not have. Those Americans who supported sending money and supplies to Ukraine did so based on the promise that this would be a “quick” war, lasting weeks maybe months at most. But yet almost two years and nearly $100 billion there’s no end in sight. Having come so freshly after a humiliating defeat in a twenty year long war the American appetite for drawn out combat is significantly diminished. Our economy is crashing hard and the middle and lower class are getting hit hardest. The fact that the US government has sent more than $70 billion to Ukraine since the start of the war and yet could only offer victims of the worst wildfires in modern American history $700 per family did not go over well. Wether or not we have any sort of responsibility toward Ukraine is highly debatable, the fact that we have a responsibility to take care of our own, is not. The fact that our government appears to care more about Ukraine than our own borders also doesn’t do much to help the cause of Ukrainians. It’s not the fault of the Ukrainian people that the current administration is a laughingstock, that the American economy is crashing, that the borders are unsecured or that we are essentially one very bad day away from a civil war ripping this country apart. But since those are every day realities that Americans have to face and since we are not going to be receiving foreign aide from anyone to help us out we have to secure our own oxygen masks before assisting others.
Thank you, Dr. Tara, for your perspective from inside the US. I agree completely that Americans’ (or any people’s) first responsibility is “to take care of our own.” But I think it’s misleading to pose this as an either / or situation where supporting Ukraine is considered neglecting one’s own. On the contrary, allowing russia’s attack on Ukraine to drag on indefinitely seriously compromises global security. This just invites more instability, as we've seen since Hamas brutally attacked Israel earlier this month. And the number of challenges facing Americans and calling for American resources keeps increasing… It's not just about money. That russia has been allowed by the US and NATO to maintain its unprovoked and unjustifiable attack on Ukraine for over 600 days is a threat to global security and to US domestic affairs.
Except it is precisely an either or situation. The only legitimate way for the United States government to raise money is via taxes the majority of which are paid for by the American public. The US government pays for everything with money that is taken from American citizens at gunpoint without their consent. Well that’s how they would pay for it if they could pay but at this point the US government can never possibly pay its debt. The US government is $33 trillion in debt. There are only 300 million Americans. How many generations of Americans should be expected to pay to protect Ukraine? For that matter exactly how much of my paycheck do Ukrainians have the right to? The government absolutely has to choose where it spends its money because money is a finite resource and when the government simply prints more of it, it means that the money in my bank account is worth less.
From what I’ve seen the danger posed by Russia fighting over Ukraine is entirely hypothetical. Lots of bad things could happen, they also might not, it’s hard to know. At the end of the day though Putin isn’t about to send troops to try and invade America. Theres a zero percent chance I wake up tomorrow to Russians driving through my town. There’s a nearly 100% chance someone goes through my county with a carload full of meth and fentanyl that came up from Mexico via the cartels. There’s a 100% chance that there are homeless Hawaiians and a devastated community that will likely never recover. There’s a 100% chance of there being American veterans living on the street or being denied the services our government promised them. I don’t know what effects Russia MIGHT have on the American economy but there is a 100% chance that I’m going to have to pick and choose which bills I pay because the government charges me a ridiculous interest rate on my student loans while also taking about 25% of my paycheck for various taxes and services.
Russia isn’t going to start a war with a NATO country, it certainly isn’t going to invade the U.S. so whatever threat it might pose is rather distant. The threat of my child overdosing on fentanyl if we go to the wrong house for Halloween or because some kid at his school gives him something that’s laced or tainted, the threat of losing our home and everything we’ve worked for because the interest rates on my loans are going up and my paycheck isn’t, the threat of an election that has riots and unrest written all over it, those are immediate threats and my family is in a better position than most.
So yes it’s definitely an either or situation and the American government needs to prioritize the needs of Americans first because that’s the purpose of a government, and any government that fails to do that loses whatever legitimacy it might claim.
Yes, things look bleak for Americans in the US. But who is responsible for the American government and its actions? You and me and our fellow US citizens. I see the threat that russia poses *firsthand* (and russia has many methods of destabilizing other countries and polities besides outright military invasion) as I've been living in Ukraine since 2005. And I will continue to urge our government to use its power to stop russia's unjust assault on Ukraine, because allowing russia impunity in Ukraine signals to russia that it can use its power to encourage terrorist groups and regimes in the Middle East, to meddle with European politics, and to influence American domestic politics... and we will just suffer the consequences.
I do not see how the American people are responsible for our government since in order for someone to be responsible for something they must have some control over it. The American people have no say or control over our government. The federal government is completely corrupt, it is in no way beholden to the American people. There is no peaceful way for American citizens to achieve any sort of meaningful change within the government. Our intelligence agencies and media industry are equally as corrupt so even if through some miracle the corruption in the government could be successfully eradicated the American people don’t have the accurate information necessary for them to make good informed decisions. We have failed to maintain any sort of unified American vision, moral system, or identity so throwing some tea in the harbor version 2.0 would be unlikely to be as successful as the original. So no I don’t think the American people have any particular responsibility for the government since they have no control over it.
You claim that Russia “uses its power to encourage terrorist groups and regimes in the Middle East, to meddle with European politics, and to influence American domestic politics”. Our government is guilty of the same. We supported Bin Laden against the Soviets and essentially created him as a major leader. We just have $100 billion to Iran. (Of course our interference is why Iran went from one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East to one of the most hardline conservative Muslim countries in the Middle East.) The things we did to destabilize Syria and Libya are horrifying. We spent nearly two decades in Iraq fighting a war that started under false pretenses. We spent twenty years in Afghanistan when the war absolutely could have been decisively won in the first two years and in the end we left the country to the same evil thugs that were running it in the first place we just left them with a bunch of our higher powered military weapons. Weapons that surprise surprise found their way to Hamas. Don’t get me started on all the destabilizing shenanigans in South America. There isn’t a place on earth that doesn’t experience American meddling, America’s behavior in the unrest in Ukraine circa 2014 was nothing short of meddling.
The American government uses social media companies to attempt to interfere with American domestic politics all the time. Not only that but political persecutions have become the norm. I have no doubts the Russian government is doing everything you accused it of, but I also know with 100% certainty that our own government is doing it as well.
There was no full scale invasion. AUF was the biggest army in Europe (excluding Turkey) NATO trained and well equipped. Russia intervened with numerically inferior forces to prevent what would have been a full scale invasion of the Donbas by AUF.
1) "There was no full scale invasion" ... of what? by whom? when?
2) What is AUF?
3) Are you aware that "the Donbas" is a loose term used to refer to a region of Ukraine rich in coal?
4) Yes, russia did invade that region of Ukraine in 2014 and russian military is continuing to occupy parts of it -- in complete violation of international law.
AFU is what I meant to write. I use the word Donbas to refer to the russophone population persecuted and bombed by Kiev. Full scale invasion is your phrase, with which I disagree. I do not think it wise to talk of law when Kiev is the creature of the world’s most lawless country -USA.
Your grouping on that target is more than impressive!! It's commendable that you took on such an unusual challenge but it's proof that you continue to adapt to the circumstances. I imagine you must have felt some level of apprehension about "needing" to know how to do this.
Wonderful story as usual.
another nice piece Larissa- thxs
“Defending democracy?” In Ukraine? It would be the funniest joke if it was not the scariest tragedy for so many. You are “lying behind the new American gun,” your salary is paid by Americans, your services (from water and gas to transportation, fire protection and ambulances, paid by Americans... Your government closed all oppositional parties, arrested orthodox priests and closed churches, refuses elections and steals by billions.
You lost every sense of right and wrong, decency, etc.
Cease and desist.
Reader, it would be funny if it weren’t so despicable that YOU should be telling ME who I am while you slander Ukraine.
“You lost every sense of right and wrong, decency, etc.” ?
Speak for yourself.
Capitalizing every letter in a word hardly serves as an argument. Belligerence, may be?