The incessant drumbeat of stories from the media leads to one conclusion -War.
We are told over and over that Putin is a an evil madman. I believe this. But he has nukes. A world ending amount of nukes. When I bring up that fact I’m told he’s not crazy enough to use nukes. Wait. Once again, I was clearly told that the reason we must act is that Putin is Stalin. A total madman. But then I’m told even he wouldn’t use nukes. I’m not sure I’m trusting your armchair diagnosis of just how crazy and evil he is. I think we should perhaps tread a bit more carefully.
I don’t understand this massive push to war. I have no interest in war. I have a son entering draft age. I don’t want war with a global superpower, especially before so many other things haven’t been tried yet. Plan A should not be war.
Y’know, before we send Americans to fight Russia, how about we stop buying oil from them? Let’s give that a try first. When drilling for oil in the US is more offensive to you than sending our young people to die, there’s something very wrong with you.
So when the left says climate control is THE #1 issue they clearly mean it. They believe it is more important to NOT drill for oil in America than it is for our sons and daughters to remain alive. That is what they’re saying.
They would rather please the environmental lobby than NOT send your children off to a foreign shore with a nuclear superpower.
Catholic Just War teaching says that war should be a “last resort.” All other means should be considered or attempted. In this case, we’re not even close. Yes, what’s going on in Ukraine is a horror but when we haven’t truly attempted full economic sanctions that includes not purchasing Russia’s oil, can we say that war is a last resort? No.
I don’t understand this push to war. I pray for Ukraine. I pray for Ukranians. But Plan A should not be war with Russia.
March 4, 2022 at 9:05 am
From the headline and the “just war” image, I thought this was going to be a discussion of whether Putin has resorted to war too quickly and how well his Ukrainian operation meets the criteria for a just war — a complicated an interesting question, I think — but instead you just go with “evil madman.”
“The incessant drumbeat of stories from the media . . . We are told over and over . . . I believe this.”
That’s your problem right there.
March 4, 2022 at 11:20 am
What moral justification was there for Putin to invade Ukraine? As far as I’m aware, prior to his invasion, Ukraine had committed no acts of violence against Russia, nor violated their sovereignty in any way.
March 6, 2022 at 11:26 am
They’d been shelling the Russian-Ukrainians of the Donbass region since 2014. Deaths around 14,000.
They threaten Russia by becoming a NATO missle-launching platform on their border.
People who think the West didn’t force Russia’s hand are delusional.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz5cNzgF1-U
March 9, 2022 at 6:28 am
Your points about NATO are well taken, and I’m not arguing that NATO and the USA are “good guys” in this scenario; I just don’t see how any of this justifies an invasion according to Catholic “just war” theory.
Yes, there is a thought process by which Russia’s invasion is justified, and that thought process may even be fairly reasonable as far as thinking according to the ways of the world goes, I just don’t see how it lines up with Catholic teaching on a just war, which is extremely restrictive, and only allows for war in the most extreme of circumstances.
The main problem is that the threat has to be “immediate.” It’s the same thing as in self-defense scenarios. If I have a belief that someone is one day going to try to kill me (even if that belief is most likely correct and justified) I still don’t have the right to go and kill that person preemptively; as hard as it may be for me, I’m not morally right in killing in self defense until the moment that the person is actively coming after me to kill me. Just so, even though Putin is right to fear that Ukraine joining NATO will lead to missiles being based there which will one day be used to attack Russia should a war break out, the threat is still something that may or may not occur down the road, and a full-scale preemptive invasion is not a justified response.
As for the shelling of the Donbass region, don’t forget that the rebels there are also fighting and killing many Ukrainians. I don’t really know whether their fight is justified or not, and I can certainly sympathize with them not wanting to live under a NATO puppet state, but there’s also a lot of Ukrainians who were even more against living under a Russian puppet state. At the end of the day the situation really seems more like a fight between two “bad guys”, neither of whom has a just cause, and the people of Ukraine are the ones suffering for it, essentially being used as pawns by both sides.
March 4, 2022 at 10:08 am
…Brink-of-war – bought to you by the same people who (since 2020) provided the plandemic, ‘Saint’ George, climate emergency, the burgeoning transagenda – and the compulsory mass closure of all churches and gross destruction of institutional Christianity.
The exact same people who have provided the information and analysis you are deploying here; are the people who created, sustained, funded and provoked this present violent situation over a long period; and are globally escalating it in a qualitatively and quantitatively unprecedented manner.
These people include All the usual evil liars and strategists (without exception) and include also the senior leadership of the Roman Catholic Church (along with all the other major Western Christian churches).
Such instant unanimity of focused hatred, war frenzy and gullibility from the masses is something to behold – and proves most people have learned Nothing about who Not to trust and believe.
March 4, 2022 at 10:58 am
Bruce, you need to get a blog. Thank you for stating it so clearly.
Censors interdicting in 3, 2, 1…
March 4, 2022 at 10:18 pm
Putin is not a madman. The West overthrew the sovereign government of Ukraine in 2014. The West has had their puppet government antagonize Russia by trying to join NATO. There was even open talks of missiles in Ukraine once their admission to NATO. The West refused Russian demands in this area and was openly dismissive and antagonistic. If you look at a map and know the history of the last two invasions of Russia having Ukraine join NATO is like having a gun to Russia’s head. Having said all that I don’t think Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine is a good idea. With these sanctions it makes Russia a client state of China. To the question of would Putin use Nukes, absolutely 100 percent yes. He sees a coordinated effort of the West to destroy the Russian people and their culture. If faced with an unwinnable existential war I have no doubt he will turn it into the wild bunch and burn the West. It is also imperative if you are to engage in a nuclear exchange to shoot first and knock as many of your opponents weapons out first and have as many of your people survive as possible. So it won’t be tit for tat as soon as Putin thinks large scale war is unavailable he will open those cans of sunshine.