It was about this time two years ago, that I started writing this weekly column. The folks at the Forest-Blade were good enough to allow me the space and place to practice the trade that I had spent four years at UGA and a sizeable amount of my parent’s money trying to learn. I have enjoyed these last 24 months trying to revive and restore an ambition and a plan that got shelved a long time ago, and I thank the staff here as well as all of you who take the time to read what I write each week. I plan on continuing that until they run me off. But sadly, and of much greater importance this week is another anniversary of a much grimmer, and somber kind.
It was also two years ago that Russian military forces crashed through the borders of the independent republic of Ukraine in a brazen and unprovoked attack on a neighboring country. It was raw aggression, the likes of which has not been seen since World War II. For months, the dictator Vladimir Putin massed thousands of Russian troops on the doorsteps of Ukraine. When it was clear that this threat and intimidation would not be challenged by any of the stronger western nations, the Russian forces barreled through Ukrainian cities inflicting large scale death and destruction on the civilian population and on an overmatched Ukrainian volunteer military. The devastation of civilian life in Ukraine has driven nearly four million people from their homes. They now live in bombed out buildings, underground utility tunnels, and any other shelter they can find. The peaceful routine of life for over six million people has become a story of refugees and mass evacuation into neighboring countries. Towns have been leveled, lives forgotten, children lost and stolen, families obliterated and more than 520,000 people dead. All of this, the result of the deranged dreams of resurrection of the old Soviet empire and the malevolent power, greed, and maniacal ego, of a five-foot five-inch former KGB agent. Putin has held absolute power in Russia off and on for all but four of the last 24 years. In a month, he will again be awarded another term in a staged presidential election by almost 97 percent of the popular vote. His estimated net worth is over 200 billion U.S. dollars while the yearly income for the average Russian citizen is between 11,000 and 13,000 U.S. dollars. The former Russian spy will continue to push and provoke leaders of the countries of the free world as long as he sees that there is no credible threat to challenge him. The same is true for leaders of the People’s Republic of China, North Korea and Iran. It is no coincidence that these nations and others are all working together now, both economically and militarily, to take advantage of the weakened policy positions demonstrated by the current White House administration. Putting all partisan politics aside, it is now time for the strongest nation in the world to exhibit some real backbone in its projection of power and resolve. Before the opportunity passes by, we must show Putin, Ali Khamenei of Iran, and Xi Jinping of China that we will support Ukraine with more arms to continue their fight for freedom, that we will eliminate threats to our Navy and to international shipping in the Red Sea and Yemen by Iranian proxies, and that we will invoke serious trade policy to send an unmistakable warning to the Chinese economy. We will do this to make sure that our enemies understand that the United States is not afraid of a fight. We are not the aggressor nor the oppressor, but we will stand on the wall, and guard the principles we fought to establish 248 years ago. The final and most important part of “showing backbone” is to make sure the American public understands that the greatest danger of all is when we take our freedom for granted. Like the slogan says, “freedom is not free”. Our enemies need to know that we believe this, and they should also know that we stand ready to prove it.
