Putin and the Right of First Refusal

As Putin's war on Ukraine rages on, and civilians and soldiers alike are dying in defense of their homeland, there are, astoundingly, voices in the West that are defending Putin's murderous warmongering.

Some of these folks are the usual social media jackasses, the ones who have to say "no" to every "yes," "stop" to every "go," "down" to every "up." Their life goal, that which gives meaning to otherwise-miserable lives, is to appear "cleverer than thou." Normally, this is behavior to be dismissed. Not when people are being killed by a sociopathic thug's aggression. Still, they're not the core of the problem.

The problem lies with the people who should know better. Or at least, we'd *hope* they'd know better, given their positions of public prominence.

To wit: NYC Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan and her garbage about Ukraine having " fascist government and ... a far-right military." But, I do suppose that she's down with ANTIFA thugs beating up anyone they accuse of being a fascist, facts or merit notwithstanding. Fascists are really good at projection.

Or, Tucker Carlson's long-running defense of Putin, which he only withdrew after the bombs started dropping.

As if massing 200,000 troops on Ukraine's border was actually defensible.

There are others, and among those others is the notion that NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe has been a provocation.

As if Russia retains a Right of First Refusal to every Former Soviet Republic and Iron Curtain nation when it comes to those nations' alliance self-determination.

As if those now-independent nations, with governments elected by their citizens rather than installed by Mother Moscow, are "wayward children" akin to China's view of Taiwan, let free to explore the world for a bit, like the Amish Rumspringa, but with return required.

As if those countries aren't allowed to choose sides.

Kinda like those one-party elections we see in autocratic nations.

You're free to choose… what we allow.

This Ukraine business is simple. A thuggish dictator ordered the military invasion of a sovereign nation. There's no excusing it, no "he was provoked," no "Russia's security is being threatened." Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal and an army that dwarfs any of her neighbors'. No rational person actually believes that any Western nation has hostile military intent toward Russia, and none of the nations bordering her have either the desire or wherewithal to attack the Bear.

There are no equivalences, no "nuance," no defending Putin's action.

And there is no right whatsoever for Putin to tell Finland and Sweden that "joining NATO would be seen as a provocation."

Moscow has no residual right to Poland, the eastern part of Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia. That Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined NATO instead of allying themselves with Russia tells its own tale.

The people who are defending or justifying the invasion of Ukraine need to stop. Full stop.