The Putin War

By Norm Richards 

I have news for Russian leader Putin. First, I'd rather not call him a president since he's been declared a war criminal. It matters little to me how official that has to be. He's killing people. That is what criminals do, kill people. The ghastly problem is he's in possession of weapons he should never have been put in charge of in the first place. What appears to me is that weapons have been stockpiling for years, even decades under his command. Now, he's using them, on people. Everything I see so far is the country he's chosen to begin using those weapons on are against a beautiful humble people, the Ukrainians. 

By all reports, the country of Ukraine is a breadbasket of humanity. They supply raw food stock to many other countries. The Putin war has stopped that. They may farm the grains but they cannot ship to markets they have been serving. Where is the logic in that? 

This conflict has gone on for a month to date. Although, Putin may have believed it would be over within days. With the sheer number of troops and armor, you would think that would have been true. We have seen the live television reports in our living rooms for days as Russian troops, tanks, guns, armored vehicles approached the Ukrainian borders and began to advance into Ukraine. I think surrounding countries thought Putin would take Ukraine and regime change would be inevitable. Not so. At least, not yet. It became clear that the exercise to remove a few Nazis has turned into a full-scale struggle between a strong and determined people bent on protecting their country from invasion and Putin's will to overcome. This determination by the Ukrainians has won the hearts of the rest of the free world, at least most of it. That emotion puts pressure on each western country's political leaders to act, to find a way to save the Ukrainian people, at least those that they can even while it looks too late for some. While war continues and economic pressures are imposed on Russia, Putin, and his partners, it appears, a point may come where those around him may decide it's time for a change of Caesar. It appears the gamble Putin took by moving against Ukraine could turn against him but no one is laying odds on it yet. At the moment, he's holding his cards close to his chest and he's not showing his hand yet.  

For now, the western leaders huddle in fear, today in Brussels and the rest of us sitting in our pajamas at home held to stay safe from a world pandemic on top of this imposed war, meanwhile face computer screens keeping our economy going home alone in our boudoirs.