If everyone who supports Ukraine’s right to use violence believes “war” is justified based on a good reason, then why aren’t the compassionate and smart Democrats supplying weaponry to Native Americans, so they can overthrow Washington with “war” violence — because no one on this planet has a better and more justified reason for using “war” violence than Native Americans.
“War” IS the answer, if not done upon you.
The Progressive Populist really hates Republicans, but the real problem is the existence of both Republicans and Democrats, because both camps share the insane belief that “war” can exist as its own entity from just doing it.
It has always been this way, superpowers playing games and making up their own reality. Take, for instance, the Kyrie Irving situation — six million Jews were murdered, but while Americans are constantly obsessed with holding Holocaust deniers accountable, the US government did its own Holocaust upon Iraq, but pawned all of it off as a “war.”
Even “progressives” in America have written off Iraq as a “bad idea war” and not a Holocaust — the luxury of being a superpower. It is impossible to get into a real knwon as a “war,” where you are not murdering people, from provoking them to defend themselves.
Game’s over! No more free passes for “war” starters. It is all murder, no access to being “in war” for “war” aggressors.
FRANK ERICKSON, Minneapolis, Minn.
Editor replies: The Progressive Populist does not hate Republicans. We just think they are wrong, for the most part. When Democrats are wrong, we point that out, too. The Indian wars were pretty much settled more than a century ago. We opposed the invasion of Iraq, and we think US officials may have engaged in war crimes in pursuing that war, but we don’t think it amounted to a holocaust rivalling that of the Nazis in World War II.
We do believe Ukraine has the right to defend its nation from the Russian invasion, and we believe the US is justified in providing arms to enable Ukraine to defend their territory because, after Ukraine declared its independence in 1991 as the Soviet Union was dissolving, the Russian Federation in 1994 guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty in exchange for Ukraine handing over its nuclear weapons, as recorded in the Budapest memorandum, in which the US and UK also provided security assurances to Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in exchange for their giving up nuclear weapons — which were likely targeted at Britain, the US and other NATO countries during the Cold War. Russian president Vladimir Putin has repudiated previous guarantees of Ukrainian independence, seized Crimea and set up Russia-backed insurrections in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and mounted a full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. When Ukraine forces put up an effective resistance on the ground, with arms provided by NATO member nations, and capitulation did not occur in the first week of the special military intervention, as Putin expected, Russian forces mounted airborne assaults on hospitals, markets, apartments and power stations, with widespread reports of war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.
We must face these facts about Russia’s war against Ukraine:
1. While Russia is losing ground previously taken from Ukraine, it is overwhelming Ukrainians with massive attacks on power and water infrastructure.
2. Ukrainians are absorbing these blows with resilience and courage, but their endurance has limits.
3. Russia has more offensive weapons, including cheap drones, than Ukraine’s expensive defense weapons.
4. While we provide Ukraine’s defensive weapons, our supplies are running low.
5. China is backing Russia’s proxy war against us to deplete our ability to defend other places interesting to China.
6. Ukraine is a far better proxy client than Afghanistan was; its troops are loyal and hard-fighting; American weapons aren’t being siphoned into enemy hands.
7. Russia must be forced to withdraw back to its original borders before our war supplies are depleted.
8. We must allow Ukraine to use our weapons offensively, to knock out Russian supply lines, military storage depots, command posts, and launching platforms.
BRUCE JOFFE, Piedmont, Calif.
The front page headline (12/15 TPP) was, of course, too good to be true. “The Rural Turnaround” referred to a few points on the election spread, achieved at the cost of much smart hard work in the election and had nothing at all to do with the “turnaround” we need which is economic change. We are once again reminded that the people who carelessly play with things and break things (the Clintons, as well as others) have neither the knowledge nor the inclination to fix what they have destroyed.
As long as the Democrats are the party of liberals only, they will fail, and continue to damage people in the process.
JIM VANDERPOL, Kerkhoven, Minn.
Mary Sanchez’s article, “The antisemitism Kyrie Irving spread, and why an apology isn’t enough” 12/15 TPP], reminds me of a story told by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin in his book “Jewish Wisdom”:
“A famous Hasidic story tells of a man who went about his town, slandering his rabbi. One day, realizing how vicious his comments had been, he went to the rabbi and asked for forgiveness. The rabbi told the man he would forgive him on one condition: that he went home, cut up a feather pillow, and scattered the feathers to the winds. The man did so, then returned to the rabbi.
“Am I now forgiven?” he asked. “One thing more,” the rabbi said. “Now go and gather all the feathers.”
“But that’s impossible,” the man said. “Precisely,” the rabbi answered. “And although you sincerely regret the damage you have done me, it is as impossible to undo it as it is to recover all the feathers.”.
Sadly, when a famous athlete like Kyrie Irving, or any adored celebrity, spreads anti-Semitic comments to their fans and through the media, their venom scatters like the feathers in Joseph Telushkin’s story.
DAVID QUINTERO, Monrovia, Calif.
I’d like to comment on two articles in the 12/15/22 edition. nnFirst I’d like to cite Joe Conason’s article, “Will Murdoch Take Down Trump?” Rupert Murdoch deserves a lot of dubious credit for his role in our modern “revolution” that is ongoing and threatens our democracy. It takes the shrewd mind of a powerful White supremacist to make the venue possible (Fox News) to which the American people are so vulnerable. Murdoch’s media is not like Twitter where a CEO can step in and exercise some truth-checking that has become necessary. Where are the checkers for someone like Rupert and his delusional gang of editors and reporters? And will media like Twitter be able to be truth-checked in the future?
Also, Mitchell Zimmerman’s piece on “GOP Won’t Dump Trumpism Anytime Soon” deserves some thought. As ugly as that title sounds, it could very well be true and any thoughts of relief about the demise of Trump are premature. He still has funders and enough of his ill begotten resources to stand as the symbol of demigod in a nation where about 50% of the people need his rhetoric. His alliance with right-wing terrorist groups, religious Nationalists, corporate CEOs, criminal minds and the rural disconnected give him tremendous destructive clout. That twisted thought is picked up by people like Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and made palatable to a controlling, racist power structure in Florida. There are many other states that have a like-minded power core. Is it possible, when this “revolution” is over, our nation will become the Un-United States of America?
LAWRENCE DANOS, Hayward, Calif.
Margot Ford McMillen’s 12/15 column on “overchipped” new cars really nailed an issue. My new hybrid Honda rolls down the windows when no one’s in it (will it roll them back up come rain?), locks itself no matter how many times I program it not to do so, has radar warnings that don’t work in inclement weather, and a backup camera that only works in good weather. Moving from gravel or dirt roads to pavement seems to fry its circuits and it warns me it can’t find lane markers anymore. I could go on and on … no spare tire. False tire pressure warnings …
This reminds me of the early 1960s, when the big American automakers refused to make fuel-efficient cars. Volkswagen beetles and the Toyota compacts took over the roads.
I too want crank-down windows, a key that opens the locked door and goes into the ignition, and actual gauges (oil pressure, temp, charge). When someone makes that car a lot of us will buy it.
Listening, auto manufacturers?
KALI KALICHE, Williams, Ariz.
Look, Joe Biden really blew it with his recently imposed labor contract on striking railway workers. My God, we spent $1 million on Trump’s COVID treatment but we can’t give railway workers seven paid sick days a year? It’s just another example of corporate America running our country and both Democrats and Republicans knowing that it does but pretending that it doesn’t.
MIKE EKLUND, Mercer, Wis.
I call myself a Christian. But so do many others. Who are the Christians? nnAt the “last supper” when Y’shua/Jesus offered his followers what we now call “The Last Supper,” “except for” was not mentioned.
At my Christian church, anyone may “come to the table.” However, there are many “churches” who would not allow me to receive communion. Are those “churches” “Christian”? Are their followers “Christians”?
I would humbly suggest who I would consider a Christian. I would honor the teachings of the “Old Testament” just as Y’shua/Jesus did. I would honor and attempt to follow what Y’shua/Jesus taught in his teaching when he was alive. Most importantly, “Love ones neighbored as oneself.” Truly, feed the hungry, cloth the poor, shelter the unsheltered. And do it with an open heart. That is too hard for most people to do. And importantly to many, financially inconvenient.
Relieve the rich of tax burdens, cut the benefits to the poor, disregard your neighbors’ blight? Is that “Christian”?
RONALD SACHS, Somerset, Calif.
Gene Lyons’ lighthearted sally, “Classroom Litterboxes, Cat Translators and Other Myths” [12/15/22 TPP] was enough to make a cat laugh.
Good to have evidence, though none was needed, that the absurdities of pseudo-science are still with us in the 21st century.
A device to translate sounds made by domestic felines would certainly delight their owners—even though there’d be complaining.
Such a futuristic device would be an improvement over mere body language (arched back), angry hiss and contented purr.
Amicably,
WILLIAM DAUENHAUER, Willowick, Ohio
From The Progressive Populist, February 1, 2023
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