There was a fight today in the parking lot of the “discount superstore” where we had just finished our grocery shopping. I heard a ruckus as I was loading our things in the trunk of our car, and I turned to see a very large, rough looking man who was obviously having a fit of road rage. I was too far away to hear exactly what was being said, but it seemed that the driver of a Mustang had taken the right-of-way. The big guy was walking toward the Mustang yelling and cursing.
The best way to de-escalate the situation would have been for the driver of the Mustang to back up his car and leave, but he chose to get out of his car and try to talk the big guy down. The driver of the Mustang was young and slender of build. The angry man clearly had the advantage of size and raw strength, although he looked to be in his 50’s. Anyway, the younger man soon became angry, too. Then the fight was on.
I was surprised to see the aggressor bleeding from the nose. The younger guy had great footwork, and he was able to get away from the big man’s attempts to grapple. Eventually, they broke it off, although there was still a lot of yelling going on.
I was glad when they quit fighting. I had my smart phone out, getting ready to take pictures if the little guy started getting the worst of it. I was ready to call 911, and then to intervene if it looked like somebody was in danger of being seriously injured.
It was a long time since I had seen two grown men throw blows. It is never a pretty picture, but I was glad the smaller man had held his own. The big guy was obviously used to being able to intimidate other people with his size and belligerent attitude.
I was way wrong a year ago about how things would turn out when the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine. The Russians had a clear advantage in numbers and weaponry. They had beaten the Ukrainians in 2014, and I thought they would quickly overwhelm them again. I did not know we had been providing training and weapons to the Ukrainians, and the ineptitude of the Russian high command came as a complete surprise. However, I still have concerns about the ultimate outcome of this horrible war.
The Russians appear to be learning, adapting, and making leadership changes. They are once again massing overwhelming forces for a new offensive. Historically, the Russian Army has never been concerned about wasting the lives of its soldiers in huge numbers. They will just keep coming, hoping to wear the Ukrainians down. The Ukrainians, however, have fewer human resources on which to draw.
The Russians have attacked civilians and civilian support infrastructure relentlessly. They hope to break the will of the Ukrainian people, and erode support for the war. It appears from all reports that this effort has not been successful. We pray that the Ukrainian people will continue to resist.
On the other hand, there are rumblings in the United States and her NATO allies, among their more short-sighted politicians, that there should be a limit to our ongoing support for the Ukrainian war effort. This kind of thing is what our opponents have come to expect from us. They know that if they can just hang on long enough, we will lose our resolve and quit. I would bet real money that is what Vladimir Putin is banking on.
Further, we have not provided the Ukrainians with the kind of weaponry they need to win. The political leaders in the West think winning is reaching a favorable negotiated settlement. That nonsense is because they do not understand war. Victory occurs when one’s enemy is unable and unwilling to continue to fight.
The Ukrainians cannot achieve real victory without first establishing air superiority in the area of conflict. Advanced aircraft can help to protect the Ukrainians from Russian missiles and armored ground forces. They need modern tanks to stop the advanced main battle tanks being deployed by the Russians. They also need medium range missiles with conventional warheads with which they can attack staging areas and supply dumps inside Russia. These weapons would go a long way to help the Ukrainians defeat the coming Russian offensive. Without them, the Ukrainians will have to take far more casualties than they can afford.
The United States has been generous with military aid to Ukraine. Those who want more accountability for the money, weapons and munitions we have provided are correct. Those who point out that that the US has provided far more help than anyone else, and who want our NATO allies to bear more of the burden, are correct as well.
We the People, however, can’t sit idly by and watch our “fearless leaders” in Washington D.C. – once again – snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by abandoning the Ukrainians now … when they need us most. Please write your Senators and Congressmen, urging them to give these brave people what they need to win.
It’s just like the fight I saw in the parking
lot today. It just plain feels good to
see a bully get the bloody nose that is coming to him.
