Ukraine

 https://x.com/ericldaugh/status/1896274722914214044?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

This seems like a reasonable concern.  

 

 https://x.com/9mm_smg/status/1895843543085908210?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

For all of those protesting in the streets of the US, you have a chance to make a real difference in Ukraine.  Enjoy Eastern Europe just in time for the spring fighting season to begin. 

FYI, there are also plenty of way to donate directly to Ukraine, not just using taxpayer (borrowed) funds.  

 

 https://x.com/jeremydboreing/status/1896225886841565452?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

 "Life is complicated. Putin is the aggressor in the current war, and countries wanting to align with NATO in no way justifies his invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is a corrupt state, which in no way justifies its destruction by Russia. Zelensky is a corrupt clown with poor manners, but he acted heroically in the months following the invasion of his country by a superior force. America does have an interest in deterring Russian aggression in Europe. This war would not have started if Trump had been president. This war would not have started if America, NATO, or a European coalition had moved trip-wire troops into Ukraine or initiated a no-fly-zone over the country in 2021 (instead of Joe Biden saying he was okay with a small invasion...). Ukraine cannot win the war without America. Zelensky missed his best opportunity for peace over two years ago. Zelensky is missing his second best opportunity for peace right now. Zelensky is a fool for campaigning in the US Presidential election and for being disrespectful to his largest patron. America's interests intersect with Ukraine's, but are distinct. The war must end. You can disagree with any one of these points, but for the most part, people are just barking partisan talking points and pretending there is no complexity to a war that has probably killed 1.5M people and implicates the entire West and the two largest nuclear powers on Earth."

 

It's possible that there is more to this than the simplistic support of Zelensky.  

 https://x.com/mazemoore/status/1896267097329553914?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

 "You didn't care when Russia took part of Ukraine in 2014. You didn't care about the fighting going on in Eastern Ukraine back then. You didn't care when Obama called the Russia/Ukraine conflict a regional dispute over territory between immediate neighbors that wouldn't matter very much to us. When MH17 was shot down and 298 innocent people were murdered, it was just something tragic that happened during a conflict on the other side of the world. You didn't accuse Obama of having blood on his hands for not be tougher with Putin. In 2021, when Biden said it was too expensive to stay in Afghanistan, you agreed. You didn't cry for the millions of Afghan women and girls who would no longer be able to go to school, work, or show their faces in public. You didn't call for America to stand up for freedom and democracy. Biden even left an arsenal of weapons for a group that hates America and oppresses its own people and you were fine with that. You didn't care when you saw people falling out of planes. When 13 Americans soldiers were blown up, you didn't cry. You didn't think it was even worth posting about. When Biden refused to say their names and when he checked his watch during the dignified transfer, that was no big deal. It was just a little disrespect. When the Biden admin droned an innocent family of 10, including an aid worker and 7 children, again, not something worth talking about. But you are heartbroken right now. Emotionally crushed. Shattered. You are weeping for Zelensky and are devastated over the way he was treated. His feelings may have been hurt and that may have been the darkest moment in American history. Our country may never recover. And the fact that Trump won't promise him a blank check of your tax dollars to prolong a war that cannot be won...it's just the worst thing that's ever happened to you."

 

Again, maybe it's not as simplistic as the APL would like you to believe.  

 https://x.com/larrytaunton/status/1895867947970703593?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

" *Trump-Zelensky Meeting Explained* I’ve watched the full 50-min exchange. • Trump clearly expected the presser to be a celebration of his agreement with Zelensky • Trump expected Zelensky to sign • Zelensky *deceived* Trump into believing he would sign to use the White House invitation to renegotiate the deal in front of the world press • The point of contention was a US guarantee of Ukrainian security • Trump didn’t outright reject it, but insisted that this part of the negotiation must wait until a) there was an agreement between the US and Ukraine, and b) there was a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia • Zelensky made odd facial gestures, snorts, and repeated nose wipes that suggested he’d used cocaine • Zelensky was generally respectful until VP Vance responded to a press question in which he said, with much sympathy to Ukraine, that it was time to try a negotiated settlement • Zelensky—who clearly DOES NOT want a negotiated peace but instead wants the US & Europe to fully commit to a general European war against Russia—decided to challenge Vance’s answer • It went downhill from there. Vance called Zelensky out for trying to renegotiate what the Trump administration believed was a done deal. • Trump then intervenes in a “break it up, boys” kind of moment. • And HERE was Zelensky’s (drug-fueled?) massive miscalculation: He talked right over the President of the United States, his host and only hope, and treated him with great disrespect and arrogance. • The part missed by everyone, it seems, and the part upon which everything hangs by a thread is that which Zelensky, the Washington War Machine, and their media allies have missed altogether: “You’re gambling with World War 3!” Trump told him that repeatedly, but Zelensky, talking over the President, probably never heard it. • Trump got fired up briefly, but had the self-control to hold back and ended the presser graciously. But not before telling Zelensky that he’s talking like a tough guy who is only tough if the US makes him so. • Since Zelensky had no intention of signing the agreement that he was there to sign, he was invited to leave. HISTORICAL NOTE: US involvement here primarily started with the Clinton administration pressuring Ukraine to surrender its nuclear weapons (thus their nuclear deterrent) in exchange for a US guarantee of its independence and security, a foolish arrangement for both parties. Ukraine borders Russia and the United States is a world away. Our involvement in Ukraine was a Vietnam-like slow burn involving massive corruption, loss of life, and nothing to show for it all. The Trump administration should give Ukraine no such guarantees. "

 

 https://x.com/warclandestine/status/1896253250195845338?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

 

 

 https://x.com/nancyrpearcey/status/1896206405775823012?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

 "How Zelensky persecuted Orthodox churches: "The Orthodox Church's claim to Apostolic succession is foundational: it holds that spiritual authority and ecclesiastical legitimacy pass directly from the apostles themselves through an unbroken chain of bishops, established by the ceremonial laying on of hands. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow currently presides over this lineage.... However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shattered this sacred continuity. Under his government, the ROC [Russian Orthodox Church] and affiliated churches in Ukraine were aggressively targeted under the guise of national security during the ongoing conflict with Russia. For nearly 70% of Ukraine's church-going population—who identify as Orthodox—Zelensky’s actions amounted to nothing less than a wholesale ban on their Christian faith. The severity of Zelensky's crackdown cannot be overstated. In a concerted campaign, dozens of revered monasteries and churches were violently raided by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). Among the most egregious actions was the seizure of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, founded in 1051... Clergy who had faithfully ministered there for decades were forcibly expelled, their spiritual leadership abruptly terminated. Additionally, numerous priests faced severe persecution, with many arrested under accusations of collaborating with Russian interests or promoting subversion. Some of these priests remain imprisoned, facing trials widely regarded by believers as politically motivated, reflecting a disturbing pattern of religious persecution. Others were forced into exile, fleeing intense governmental scrutiny and societal hostility fueled by Zelensky’s campaign. Thousands more clergy faced heavy pressure to abandon their spiritual heritage and align with the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU)—an entity comparable to L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology, constructed as a politically expedient religion devoid of legitimate Apostolic authority. Created from groups previously excommunicated or recognized as schismatic, the OCU lacks genuine recognition from significant Orthodox patriarchates.... Zelensky’s administration, by imposing legal mandates forcing parishes to either renounce their spiritual lineage or face forced closure, has effectively dismantled thousands of religious communities across Ukraine. This relentless persecution has plunged millions of devout Ukrainians into a profound spiritual crisis, isolating them from the very essence of their faith. In practical terms, Zelensky has criminalized the traditional expression of Orthodox Christianity, labeling authentic believers as enemies of the state. Priests who dared resist this coercive assimilation into the OCU found their churches confiscated, their congregations dispersed, and their sacred rites disrupted. For the vast majority of Ukraine’s faithful, these brutal actions represent an undeniable assault on their religious identity and spiritual heritage.""

 For years it's been drilled into me that one of the foundational, bedrock, commitments of the APL is the commitment to pacifism. That pacifism was almost required to be a progressive. Yet we've now seen an almost complete switch and we now have the APL demanding more war, more weapons, more fighting, and more death/destruction. That seems strange to me. It's also amusing to see the Domino Theory gain so much credibility among the APL after deriding it back in the '60s.

 

Somehow people believe that Russia is too weak to beat Ukraine, yet simultaneously so strong that it will conquer the rest of Europe at it's leisure.  

https://x.com/kanekoathegreat/status/1896618136293744884?s=51&t=cLq01Oy84YkmYPZ-URIMYw

 

Watching Murphy do a complete 180 from just a few years ago isn't surprising, but it is disgusting.