Why the Russian-Ukrainian War was Completely Unnecessary

When the Soviet Union broke up land Russia shed its Communistic past, I was ecstatic.  I began writing essays on how the U.S. could help Russia become  a free and prosperous country by using its resources.  

I have written to then President George H.W. Bush, along with other politicians, advertised organizations (AmeriCares) on a campus church (University of North Dakota), published two letters in the Dakota Student, the university newspaper, and had a letter published in Time magazine, urging the U.S., Europe, and Japan to seize this opportunity to help Russia.  

“The choice is clear - pay now or pay later.”

I was right, and we are paying right now for what we neglected to do when we had the chance.

Regardless of our own mistakes back in the 1990s, none of this justifies Putin’s actions in the invasion of Ukraine today.  

As it is right now, Russia, under the tyranny of Vladimir Putin, made an unprovoked attack on Ukraine for the purpose of annexing it to Russia.  All of these other excuses are simply that, excuses.  Ukraine was not under Nazi rule, nor was it about to join NATO.  NATO didn’t want Ukraine.

Putin has acted in this manner before for the past 15 years or so.  In 2004, Russia invaded Georgia, and the world did nothing.  In 2014, Russia invaded eastern Ukraine, the Donbass region, and annexed Crimea.  Again, the U.S. and the West did nothing.

So now, in 2022, Russia decided to invade, and annex all of Ukraine, thinking that the U.S. and the West would react in the same manner.  They thought the Ukrainians would turn and run, and that other Ukrainians would welcome them with open arms.  They thought the whole invasion would be a cakewalk.  Only it didn’t turn out that way.

Instead, the Ukrainians fought back, fiercely, killing or wounding over 20,000 Russian soldiers and destroying their artillery.

The Russians then turned around and massacred civilians in Kyiv, Bucha and other  places, destroyed entire towns, but the world is condemning Russia and Ukraine fights on nonetheless.

The Russians sadly misjudged.  The Ukrainians continue to fight back, fiercely, even with Russia flattening their cities and killing off tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians. 

On the other hand, the Ukrainians are killing Russian soldiers, 20,000 so far, wounding thousands more and causing many others to desert.  Russian artillery, including ships, planes, tanks, and helicopter are being destroyed, so Russia seems to have gotten more than they expected.

Many countries, including the U.S., are sending Ukraine weapons and the Ukrainians are using them, which accounts for so much success on their part.  Many volunteers from all over the world, including Russia and Belarus, and coming in giving the Ukrainians a helping hand in fight Russia.  It’s working.  So far, the Ukrainians, and their allies, have driven the Russian from the north, especially away from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capitol.  

At present, the Russians are regrouping, amassing troops to the Donbass region, in the eastern portions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Normally, this region mostly consisted of pro-Russian separatists.  Russia needs to have a victory, taking land that would provide a land bridge from Donbass to Crimea, which Russia took/“annexed” back in 2014.  Many of these separatists also suffered, having their homes destroyed, so many may be turning against the Russians.

There is another reason why Russia desperately wants this strip of land.  There are natural resources, being natural gas, possibly oil, and other minerals, all of which powers Ukraines industries, and Russia wants it.

It seems if any of Russia’s neighbors has any valuable resources, energy or otherwise, Russia wants to step in and grab them, and THIS is the real reason why Russia wants Ukraine, or Eastern Ukraine anyway.

Before the invasion, Ukraine was prospering from their mineral wealth, so well that it made Russia envious, and angry.

Russia, being a third world country with nuclear weapons, decided to make an unprovoked attack for these resources, even though Russia’s oligarchs, with Putin at the top, and profiting from Russia’s own mineral wealth - oil, natural gas, vast mineral resources, and THAT is the theme of this essay.

I have written a lot leading up to this point, and the question I have, as in the title, was any of this necessary?  Did Russia HAVE to be our enemy?

Russia is vast country spanning 11 time zones, the biggest country in the world, having a vast amount of oil, gas, and mineral resources, and ample farmland, all more than any other European country, combined.

Even without any other former Soviet republic, and this includes Crimea, belonging to Ukraine, Russia, with its borders, could form an independent world within a world.  They have enough farmland and resources to not only provide for their entire population, in comfort, but an extreme surplus of food, resources, and manufactured goods to sell to the rest of the world, becoming one of the richest countries in the world.

Russia could work side by side with the West.  They can control their own resources, set their own rules, but still work prosperously with the West.

They could form their own alliances, anywhere on Earth, they can help the rest of the world in our present environmental crisis (climate change, for example), and culturally, they have a lot to offer.

All this without being a military threat to anyone.

Russia would have made a powerful ally, even forming a partnership with the U.S., not only militarily, but economically as well.  They would definitely be an asset to Europe, with all of Europe willingly cooperating.

Imagine NATO going out of existence because it would no longer be needed.  There would be nothing to fear from Russia.  Is that a possibility?  NATO still exists because they fear an aggressive and threatening Russia that would cross their borders and invade, like they did with Ukraine and Georgia.  

If only Russia would realize that if they did not threaten any other country, if they would respect their borders and their territorial integrity, and recognize all other countries, with no border disputes, including those in the former Soviet Union, there would be no need for a NATO.

As it is, Vladimir Putin wants to rebuild the Soviet Union and the former Soviet bloc into a new Russian Empire, starting with Ukraine.  He does not care what the people of these countries want, or don’t want.

If Putin succeeds with Ukraine, which, at present, isn’t very likely, he’ll target Georgia next, then Moldova. There is the Transnistria region, the very eastern strip of Moldova occupied by Russian troops.  Moldova is a weak country and not in NATO.  Romania, ethnically related to Moldova, is in NATO so if Moldova is willing to reunite with Romania, even without the Transnistria region, they would have automatic membership.  

All other former Soviet republics are either a part of NATO, Islamic, or, like Georgia and Armenia, very small countries.

The Soviet Union with never reunite.  Vladimir Putin is simply living in the past.  He is focusing on his enemies, on land that he wants, rather than focusing on his own country, where he should spend his time, energy, and resources on rebuilding.

The reality is, Russia is so vast and rich with resources that it literally does not need one more square meter of land, including Crimea.  Yes, Crimea is a tourist resort, but in 1954, Khrushchev gave Crimea to Ukraine as a gift, and this should be considered a done deal.

Before the seizure, Ukraine did allow Russia to keep its Naval Base in Sevastopol.

So, as a vision, we have Russia proper, before it seized Crimea. 

Russia claimed that they were trying to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, but NATO had no plans, or interest, in admitting Ukraine, or Georgia, even though NATO “promised” they would back in 2014.  This was not about to happen anytime soon.  Therefore, this was simply an excuse on Russia’s part.

President Joseph Biden did talk with Putin personally, and warned that there will be severe consequences if Putin invades Ukraine.  He also stated that he will not send NATO troops in if Putin does.  This sounded like an easy go for Putin.  

Putin supposedly respects strength, but only if Putin is winning.  If he loses, Putin will throw a temper tantrum and will resort to chemical and nuclear arms.  He hasn’t done that yet, but he will.  Meanwhile, we are ignoring many of Putin’s warnings.  He threatened to ship warships to the Baltic Sea, possibly armed with nuclear weapons should NATO admit Sweden and Finland.  I believe NATO will nonetheless.  Does Putin respect strength in this case?  

Also, Putin is warning Biden of unintended consequences should he send any more arms to Ukraine.  Biden committed on sending $800 million more of arms.  Does Putin respect Biden’s strength here.  

Biden knows that if Putin is pushed too far, he will resort to nuclear and chemical warfare, which would be a disaster for the entire globe (World War III, and it CAN happen).  However, he is doing the NEXT BEST THING, by arming the Ukrainians, regardless of what any general from the Pentagon might say.  History will be the final judge in this matter.

Biden warned Putin of severe consequences for Russia should he invade Ukraine, and there were; more than Putin, or the West, could have imagined.

All of Putin’s goals backfired on him.  Before, NATO was disorganized, now it is more organized than ever before, and is about to admit the formerly neutral countries and Sweden and Finland.  This will result in doubling in size the NATO - Russian border.  The U.S. and other countries are sending lethal weapons to Ukraine by the billions of dollars, and Ukraine is using them.  More and more countries are sanctioning Russia, costing the Russians money and people.  Many talented people are leaving Russia, in the form of a “brain drain.”  Worst of all, most of the world is turning against Russia and Vladimir Putin.  How long will Putin stay in power?  We don’t know.

When the Ukrainian War ends, and Ukraine emerges as a free country, they will apply to join NATO. Should Russia get some Ukrainian land, and they might, Ukraine will join NATO for sure, no matter what.  Ukraine WILL be in the European Union.

Georgia and Moldova are still questionable.  Moldova could join Romania, which is already in NATO.  There is still a matter of the Transnistria region, a Russian occupied sliver on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.

Georgia may or may not be considered, that has yet to be seen.

It has been said that NATO should never have admitted eastern European and former Soviet countries to NATO, but I disagree.  I think this was a wise move, because if NATO didn’t, Putin would have invaded them, especially the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania by now, and would have been reabsorbed into Russia.

This is all the doing of Vladimir Putin.

None of this was necessary.  Putin did not have to invade Ukraine, at all, because Ukraine posed no threat to Russia.  Russia simply wanted Ukraine’s mineral wealth and land, thinking that the Ukrainians and the Russian are one people.  

The bottom line is GREED!

Greed for land, mineral wealth, power, for Putin and his oligarchs, those who own, who stole Russia’s industries when the Soviet Union dissolved, and they simply want more.

Ukraine, like Afghanistan, wasn’t going to give up their land, so they fought back, fiercely, and all of Russia is now paying the price.

Again, none of this was necessary.

Russia has all that land, spanning across eastern Europe, Asia, all the way to the Bering Strait.  True, Asiatic Russia is the coldest region on Earth, is you discount Antarctica, but hard core Russian live there and there is still industrial activity going on there.

Minerals are being mined, ports on the Arctic Ocean are opening up, there is a vast supply of oil and natural gas, and minerals, even vast amounts of farming in the southern regions.

Russia, as it is, does not need any more land.  

If there is a way for Russia to defeat NATO, it’s to respect the territorial integrity of all other countries, big or small.  Any country not threatened by Russia isn’t likely to have a military base on its borders.

Russia needs to realize that the past historical threats of invasion, from the Mongols up to Nazi Germany are gone.  The only threat Russia might have is China, but even China isn’t likely to invade.  They have their own internal affairs and the Siberian plain are too vast.

Russia can do much better with commerce, and up until the invasion, they were trading minerals, commodities, for manufactured goods.  

Putin is living in the past.  If he survives this war, he, or his successor, will need to get back to the present and focus on the future.

Alastair Browne 

The Final Treaty: Russia Gets Nothing, Ukraine Joins NATO

As I write this, Ukrainian forces are pushing back the Russians, regaining territories, towns, and cities captured by the Russians.  The Russians are now concentrating their forces on the Donbass region.

Once and for all, the myth of the invincible Russian Army has been dispelled.

True, U.S. President Joseph Biden and NATO did not send troops into Ukraine, but they did do the next best thing.  They sent arms to the Ukrainians, and they are using them to the fullest - shooting down Russian aircraft, destroying tanks and artillery, even Russian warships out at sea, and killing over 15,000 Russian troops, including seven Russian generals.

Of course, Russian missiles and bombers have literally leveled Ukrainian towns and cities to the ground, and have driven out five million refugees, but, like when the Americans bombed North Vietnam for 15 years, none of this has done any good for the Russians.

Should Putin decide to use nuclear and/or chemical warfare on Ukraine, the war may turn in Putin’s favor, but Russia will suffer a consequence beyond anything they can presently imagine.  The world will utterly condemn Putin and Russia and this condemnation will last for at least the rest of the century.

The Russians, all Russians, will be labeled bad people;  a label that may extend even beyond the Nazis.

As it is, Russia may have no choice but to end the war, but they also want to save face and look as it they won, or at least achieve their ends by getting some Ukrainian land.

At present (April 4, 2022), they are leaving the Kyiv region.  This is sensible because they were never able to capture Kyiv, and they are restating their mission, a la Orwell’s 1984.  They have stated that their only goal was to “liberate” Eastern Ukraine, or at least the Donbass region.

Ten years ago, I would have thought that they was a good idea.

A Russian general once said, quoted in Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations, “Ukraine or rather Eastern Ukraine, will come back in five, ten, or fifteen years.  Western Ukraine can go to Hell.”

Ukraine is a cleft country, with pure ethnic Ukrainians in the West, being Catholic, and Eastern Ukraine, being Orthodox and Russian speaking.  Back then, it would have made perfect sense for Eastern Ukraine to rejoin Russia, at their approval, being the majority in the region.

I would have had no problem with that, then!

Today, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ALL of Ukraine, the game has changed, even beyond Putin’s expectations.  This proposal is still on the table, “dividing Ukraine like Korea.”

This is no longer an issue, because even in Eastern Ukraine, the Russian Ukrainians have suffered from the invasion just as much as the Western Ukrainians, and both sides have teamed up to both drive the Russians out and have a permanently united Ukraine.

Putin has united Ukraine like never before, and ALL Ukrainians are fiercely fighting the Russians.  

This proposal is now dead in the water - NO part of Ukraine must rejoin Russia.

There is the Donbass region.  There are Russian separatists there, supported by Russia since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

I’ve previously thought of having Ukraine letting Russia annex it, to save Ukraine a lot of trouble, but a friend of mine stated the alternative.  Take these Separatists and show them the Russian border, which they can cross, leaving all of Donbass to Ukraine.  I am now supportive of this proposal.  The families of these separatists have already crossed into Russia, and the Separatists can simply rejoin their families…in Russia.

That takes Donbass off the table.

There is Crimea, but that is in a unique position, and I consider Crimea a separate entity from both Ukraine and Russia.

Crimea has always been a part of Russia, at least since the 16th century.  

It was in 1954, when both Russia and Ukraine were a part of the Soviet Union, that Premier Khrushchev, at a function and probably drunk, where he decided to give Crimea to Ukraine on a whim.

Back then, it didn’t really matter, until 1991, when the Soviet Union broke up into the 15 states they are today.

It was in 2014, after the Presidential election in Ukraine, when Putin’s candidate lost, where Putin, in his anger, decided to invade Crimea and annex it - back to Russia.

In other words, he simply took it back.  It would have been better if Khrushchev never gave it away in the first place.

There is a Russian Naval Base in Sevastopol, and many, probably most, Crimeans rejoiced upon being a part of Russia again.

According to the Census, the ethnic composition is as follows: Russians: 1.49 million (65.3%), Ukrainians: 0.35 million (15.1%), Crimean Tatars: 0.24 million (12.0%).  

It has been stated that the Crimean Tartars prefer to be a part of Ukraine, but that is still 27.1% Ukrainian versus 65.3% Russian.  If a referendum was held, was international observers, on whether to rejoin Ukraine, stay in Russia, or become independent, the vast majority would vote to stay in Russia.

What’s to be done?  A referendum, a conference, or should Russia give Ukraine some compensation (this could be wishful thinking).

The final issue for the fate of Ukraine is whether is should be neutral, like Finland and Sweden after World War II.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is will to settle for neutrality, but I disagree.

Sweden and Finland are now opting to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine.  

I feel that Ukraine, after the was, should now be entitled to join NATO, regardless of how Putin and Russia feels.

NATO originally did not want Ukraine to join, but the was has changed that.  Ukraine by not being in NATO was one reason why it was invaded, with Putin thinking that it would be an easy target.  Biden and NATO also stated that they would not send in troops, although they did send weapons, being the next best thing.

Now Ukraine, with their soldiers and citizens have fought bravely, is worthy to join NATO right away, and they would not only protect Ukraine from further invasions, but also make NATO more powerful.

The main reason is to insure that Russian never again invade, or even take more land from Ukraine.

Ukraine should also have immediate admission to the European Union.

In order to rebuild Ukraine, there will have to be a Marshall Plan, where various governments, corporations, and individuals, Russians included, would be willing to participate.

A prosperous Ukraine in both NATO and the E.U. would be no threat to Russia whatsoever.  Russia has never been invaded by NATO and never would be, even if NATO was on Russia’s borders.

NATO has never been a threat to Russia in the past.  The reason why NATO existed was because Russia was a threat to Europe, and Europe had to be protected.  It still does.

If Russia was not a threat to Europe, there would be no need for NATO to exist.

If only Russia would realize this.  

Before Putin, Russia was slowly becoming a fledging democracy.  Let’s hope that after Putin’s reign is over, it can be so again.

Alastair Browne

Ukraine - March 2022

As of today, Russia is mostly fighting, but not occupying Eastern Ukraine and has now shifted west.  They are constantly bombing cities, even though the Ukrainians are fighting back.  In many cases, they are driving the Russian soldiers out.

Rockets and missiles are leveling these towns and cities, but the Ukrainians continue to fight on, never surrendering.  

The Russians have just bombed Yacoriv, Ukraine, just ten miles from the Polish border.

Poland, unlike Ukraine, is a member of NATO, so once Russia goes into Poland, NATO will have to respond.

Biden fears sending soldier and aircraft into Ukraine, fearing that this will start World War III with Russia.

This does make sense, but unfortunately, Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of this situation by bombing and leveling Ukrainian cities, without any regard to the targets:  hospitals, schools, residential neighborhoods, even refugees trying to flee Ukraine.

Putin, quite simply, wants to annex all of Ukraine and rebuild the old Soviet Union.  He does not care if the Ukrainians don’t want this, and “if we have to bomb Ukraine to the ground and kill every single Ukrainian to extinction, we’ll do it!”

THAT is the Putin mentality, and that makes Putin Pure Evil.  Putin does not care what the rest of the world thinks.

Every Ukrainian citizen is willing to fight the Russians to the death - and they are doing it.  So far, they have killed about 7,000 Russian soldiers and destroyed amany tanks, trucks, aircraft, and ships.  

The Russian soldiers themselves are young conscripts who are unable and unwilling to fight.  They’ve been deceived, being told that they are simply going on maneuvers, not knowing that they are being made to kill their fellow Slavs.  These soldiers are mostly amateurs, although high ranking officials, including four generals, and special forces brigades have been killed by Ukrainians, also.  As a result, morale among the Russian troops is sinking low.  

Volunteers from all over the world are coming to help the Ukrainians fight the Russians.  I myself would like to see American militias from the over the South and West (of the U.S.) come over with the store of weapons.  That would really boost the Ukrainians. What would also boost them would be the MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland that were promised Ukraine, but were stalled.

President Joseph Biden is dealing with a tyrant with nuclear, chemical, and Biological arms, and this tyrant, Vladimir Putin, is becoming more and more power mad, so Biden is right to be cautious, so do not judge him too harshly.  Biden has been sending massive arms to the Ukrainians, and these very arms have inflicted heavy casualties on the Russians and continue to do so.  

However, with their attacks becoming more powerful and ruthless, Biden may have no choice but to send NATO aircraft to establish a no-fly zone over all of Ukraine.

In addition, we should let Poland send their MiG-29s to Ukraine and let the Ukrainian pilots deal with the Russian pilots flying over Ukraine.  They are presently doing so with their own aircraft.

This is a big risk, and it will no doubt anger the Russian military, not to mention Putin himself, but they may think twice before advancing any further, including resorting to nuclear arms.

Biden, as cautious as he had been, was still helping the Ukrainians in whatever way he could, but now he will have to do more.

Biden will have to take a big risk and go further into unknown territory. 

What will happen if and when the war ends?  

Ukraine will be separate from Russia now and forever.  The Ukrainians will want this, and they will remember this point in time.

Many has suggested that Ukraine be divided, giving Eastern Ukraine, the Russian speaking region, to Russia and let the Ethnic Ukrainians be independent, and never join NATO.

This is dead on arrival.  The Russian Ukrainians themselves have suffered equally through this invasion, and the vast majority have experienced freedom and turned against Putin, and this invasion have pushed them into the Ukrainian camp.  

I have previously believed that dividing Ukraine, with Southern and Eastern Ukraine joining Russia (of their own preference) and Western Ukraine being independent and joining the European Union would be in the best interest of everybody.  Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has killed this idea once and for all.

All of Ukraine is now united like never before.

As for the Donbass region, keep it in Ukraine and send any Russian sympathizer back to Russia.

Putin should get nothing.

Crimea being given back to Ukraine is up in the air.  Crimea has always been Russian.  It was in 1954 that Khrushchev, on a whim decided to give Crimea to Ukraine as a “good-will gesture.”  It is rumored that he was drunk with he did this, for this occurred at a function/party.  Anyway, it didn’t matter back then, because both Russia and Ukraine were a part of the old Soviet Union.

It didn’t become a problem until 1991, when the U.S.S.R. disbanded.

The people of Crimea found themselves in a ‘foreign country.’

In 2004, Russian troops marched in and took it, and the people cheered.

What would be fitting here is hold a referendum, an honest one, giving these people a choice to 1) remain part of Russia,  2) rejoin Ukraine,  or 3) Become an independent country.

This time, the ballots would be secret and the referendum would be overseen by an international committee, which will include the United States.

In hindsight, Khrushchev should have kept Crimea in Russia.

Ukraine will join the European Union.

Ukraine will become part of NATO, never again to be subjugated to attack from Russia, and never again for the whole world to watch without helping them to defend themselves.  (They are, but again, not enough.)

One question for Russia is, was this war necessary?  Did they have to attack Ukraine?  One stated reason is that Russia didn’t want Ukraine to join NATO, but NATO wasn’t about to admit Ukraine anytime soon.  Another reason is that Putin wants to reunite all the Russian people presently living in other countries under one roof.  I would like to point out that for Russians living abroad, they, and the Russian government, must realize that any Russian living in any other country must abide by the laws and customs of that country, or they can move back to Russia.

    The simple answer is GREED!  Russia wanted more land and restore the old Soviet Union.

Russia is the biggest country in the world, expanding over 11 time zones, from Eastern Europe to the Asiatic land mass, all the way to the Bering Strait.

They never needed to take one more square inch of land from any other country, including both Ukraine and Crimea (I regard Crimea as separate).

If, after Russia became its own separate country, and honored their agree to respect the territorial integrity of all other countries (including Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia), they could have focused on building their own country up with the land and resources they already have.  

Russia has all that land for both farming and mineral wealth that the do not need land from any other country.  Suppose they accepted this, and developed their farmland and mineral wealth.  They would be able to have the entire population live a high quality of life, with the vast majority of the Russian people being middle class.

Industries could used these minerals to manufacture literally anything they want.

The Russian government would, of course, set the rule for any and all companies, foreign or domestic.  In turn, Russia would become one of the richest countries in the world, with a loyal population.  

They would be a world within a world.

They would be part of the West, with the U.S., Europe, China, and Japan, being both a peaceful competitors and allies, with beneficial trade.

There would be no need for a threatening military.  If this were the case, there would be no need for a NATO, and half their problems would be solved.  At the same time, nobody would ever threaten them.  When circumstances dictate, they can say “No,” thereby controlling their own resources, and neither would they make enemies.  

The Russians would have gained so much more in farming, industry, and trade than they ever would have in war.

This is the way the present world should have been.

When the Soviet Union broke up in 1992, this was the scenario I was hoping for, and through my own writings, I tried everything I could in my abilities to make it this way, by contributing my ideas to certain publications.

Alas, the U.S. government still had a mistrust towards Russia, and then-President Boris Yeltsin, in 1999, made the fatal mistake of appointing Vladimir Putin his successor.  I did not like the looks of Putin, especially the expression on his face.

Then, the new Russia did have democratic system where the governments in each of the 89 provinces duly elected their leaders, but then Putin abolished this system and had their local governments appointed by the Kremlin, meaning Putin himself.

From that point on, I knew Putin would lead the Russian people back into a tyranny.

So this is where we are today.

Russia has a long history of being invaded, from the Mongols to the Nazis, but this does not justify their actions in Ukraine today.

The human side to this is that it isn’t the Russian people, it’s Putin,

Putin will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and that makes him dangerous.  He has to be stopped, even if it means sending NATO and U.S. aircraft and troops; even if it means further hostilities from the Russians.

We must show Putin that he is not invincible, nor can he go into any country he wants and take it.

For the sake of Ukraine, Europe, and the world, Putin must be stopped; now, before it is too late!

Alastair Browne

What are Republicans For? An Answer and a Rebuttal

 In The Wall Street Journal, dated January 26, 2021, on the opinion page (A17)  I noticed an editorial, “What are Republicans For?” By Joseph Edstein.  Having read the editorial, knowing that it favors the Republican Party, I would like to respond.

The full text can be found by clicking the address below:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-are-republicans-for-gop-biden-press-conference-scruton-volunteer-charity-welfare-administrative-state-11643145502?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

Some of these points in this editorial, which I will cover, are right.  They are legitimate and I always have been in agreement with them.  My parents were Republican, and having grown up being taught them, in the early 1970s,  they’ve always made a lot of sense.

The problem is that today, the party has gone to extremes, as to what happened on January 6, 2021.  The Republican Party today have started to disregard the U.S. Constitution, and have openly admitted that they will go as far as to lie, cheat, and steal to win elections.  It is because of this that I have become a Democrat.

They weren’t always like this, which I will explain.

I will also take quotes from Mr. Epstein’s opinions, and will either agree or challenge them one at a time.  Before going any further, I recommend that you click the above address and read the article in its entirety, then continue with this article.

“We know what the Republicans are against, which includes the crime currently rampant on our big cities’ streets, the want of anything resembling order on our southern border, the melange of progressive giveaway programs, and more.”

Agreed;  on all three counts!  (I’ll leave out the ‘and more.’)

We have crimes such as looters and shoplifters coming into stores in broad daylight, stealing what they want, in large quantities, and running off and getting away with it.

This action cannot be tolerated, and law enforcement needs to come in and deal with this, using force, lethal force if necessary, and imposing severe penalties, such as long term jail sentences.

I know many policemen are unjustly and unfairly killing Blacks, igniting anger nationally, and this problem does have to be confronted.  Many organizations are doing just that.  

However, we cannot tolerate looters, vandals and rapists and allow them to get away with what they do, either.  This also must be confront and the guilty parties involved must have the law come down hard on them, regardless of race, color or national origin.  All must be punished equally, no excuses.

The southern border with Mexico needs to be upgraded.  I am, however, against “the wall” and I am glad Biden stopped construction on it and is tearing it down.  We do need more passionate immigration laws and we should let more refugees come.  One proposal is, “let them in, but don’t give them welfare,” of which I am in agreement.

Here’s why.

FIrst, we need to let them in in a swift but orderly manner.  More entrances are needed to prevent them from crossing the desert, risking their lives or being subjected to smugglers.

This country is in want of unskilled labor, and these immigrants are willing to do them.  They are not taking jobs from Americans, they are taking jobs Americans will not take, but needs to be done nonetheless.

The advantage to this is that our markets will function and the families of these immigrants grow up to be productive and law-abiding citizens.  They will go to colleges and universities and contribute greatly to the American economy, in turn compete with the rest of the world.

As for no welfare, their customs of family and community have people working and living together and helping each other, without welfare.

I have seen all this.  It’s been happening for years, and the people assimilate and become Americans.  All this prejudice and racial fear of them is unfounded.

“…the melange of progressive giveaway programs…”

This makes a lot of sense, and this is why we have such a huge deficit.

I was once a member of “Citizens Against Government Waste,” and we do waste billions of dollars each year in our annual budget.  

For example, tax money goes to an indoor rain forest in Iowa, a museum of porcelain dishes, or just advertising “Free Money”.  This has got to stop.

We cannot have welfare addicts either, where able-bodied people collect welfare “because they can.”

There are V.A. programs that fund disabled veterans, but many of these veterans fought for their country and are permanently disabled because of it.

I do favor government work programs, such as rebuilding the infrastructure, which is an absolute necessity.  However, funding pet projects by a politician so he can remain in office, i.e. buying votes, we cannot have.

This is just a very small list here, and it is in reality magnified thousands of times, but I think you get the point here.

So for the above mentioned facts I am basically in full agreement.  The Republican Party, believe it or not, once did stand for the worker.  

Back in the 1970s, there were “Nixon Republicans.”  As bad as he was, Nixon did work his way up the ladder, and wanted to set an example for others to do the same.

It was when Reagan became President that the party changed, becoming a party for the rich.  Many working Republicans did not see that at the time, and many still don’t to this day.  Many still think that the party still stands for the working man, and that is no longer true.  Those in the upper echelons simply don’t care about them, other than wooing them for their votes.

“But what is the party, what in general, are American Conservatives actually for?  The standard answer would include free enterprise, freedom from interference from big government, equality of opportunity if not necessarily of results, the wisdom of our Founding Fathers as embodied in our Constitution, and now, more recently, an unlocked down economy, fairness in reporting in the media, on politics, generally.”

This is an earful.  Some of these I agree with up to a point, others such as open schools (no masks necessary - this essay was written during the Covid pandemic) and an unlocked down economy, I am against, because with Covid-19, this could be fatal to a lot of people.  How, catching the virus from others and at times, leading to hospitalization and death.  This has been happening.

Free enterprise I am in agreement.  Freedom from interference from big government I agree with up to a point.   We have to have safety for workers, because many jobs are dangerous, and if safety and protection measures aren’t put in place, many more workers will suffer on-the-job injuries, dismemberment, and death.

These industries also have to pay their fair share of the taxes, which many of them don’t do.  Some go as far as outsourcing to other countries for lower taxes and cheap labor, leaving the American workers out of a job, in poverty, and in the welfare line.

Affirmative action is good up to a point, until everything, meaning all races can finally balance out fairly.  One drawback is what my brother-in-law once asked me, “Would you like to have a doctor who was educated on Affirmative Action perform a quadruple bypass on you?”

Opportunity should be available to all, but only the best in that field should be hired regardless of race, creed, color, religion, or national origin.

“…the wisdom of our Founding Fathers as embodied in our Constitution.”

Not anymore, and it’s deteriorating fast.  Many Republicans today have no regard for the Constitution and many either want to change it in their favor, or abolish it completely.

Here’s proof.

When Mitch McConnell, back in 2016, refused to hold hearings for Merrick Garland, nominated by President Obama for Supreme Court Justice, he replied, “I know it’s written in the Constitution, but I don’t care.  Make me!”

That says it all.  For McConnell, this is grounds for treason on his part, who is a Republican.  Are we going to allow this.  Of what worth is our Constitution if nobody cares?  This is the beginning of the road to tyranny, and this is no exaggeration.

“…open schools, and un-locked down economy…”

We still have a pandemic and we have to take protective measures, and that includes inoculations and wearing a mask.  This is not politics, it’s a matter of human survival.  I don’t understand why so many people are against vaccinations when so many people are dying.  Sadder yet, there is a way to escape this, but these anti-vaxxers will not budge.

Some do change their minds, when it is too late.  They refuse to get vaccinated, catch Covid, and then die on a hospital bed.  As they lay dying, they admitted they were not vaccinated and then urge everyone to get vaccinated before it’s too late.  

Then they die.

Unfortunately, many still don’t get the message.

“…fairness in reporting in the media on politics, generally.”

They aren’t fair.  

First of all, they believe the big lie that Trump was cheated out of the 2020 election.  He wasn’t;  Biden won fair and square. 

Some of the media, such as FOX News, praises the Republican Party and justifies everything they do no matter how bad they are.

Up until this point, this editorial, rebuttal to an editorial, really, supposedly told of the virtues of the Republican.  I must admit, they still have a few of these, all of which you can count on one hand, but they are losing them, fast.

One example is the federal budget.  The Republicans use to be thrifty or conservative with federal income.  Not anymore, and what occurred during the Clinton Administration proves it.

President Bill Clinton had a budget surplus in the late 1990s, and Vice-President Al Gore, when he ran in 2000, want this surplus to continue, and use it to pay down the national debt.  Both were Democrats.

Unfortunately, the office was given to George W. Bush.  When he cut taxes for the rich, the surplus was wiped out, and the deficit returned and heavily increased, to which we, the U.S., never recovered.

So much for the Republicans wanting to preserve the economy.

“Democrats care about social justice, they care about climate change, they care about women and almost all minorities, they care about voting rights — they, not to put a fine point on it, care!”

Yes they do, and they should — so should the Republicans.  How can they not care?  If they want a safe and stable society, they should care!  

Anyone, no matter who they are, with a good job, living in a good home, with the promise of a future, with the right to vote and justice whenever it is needed, will not want to go out and commit any crimes.  This is the recipe for a peaceful and stable society.  

The alternative would be riots, looting, vandalism, and mobs.  Just look at South America or the Middle East, any society that doesn’t have a middle class, just rich and poor. 

How can these Republicans not see this?

There needs to be a return to working across the aisle.  If the polarization of Democrats and Republicans ignoring each other continues like this, the U.S. will be well on its way to collapse.  It’s happening already, and it’s all because of their oppression of women, minorities, and voter suppression.

President John F. Kennedy once said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.”  

We would do well to remember those words.

Climate change is not political, it’s a proven fact and a threat to the entire human race.

It has been stated that Republicans do not believe in climate change, but I think many of them do.  They’re just afraid to admit it because they are being paid off by polluting industries for their re-election campaigns.  In order for them to continue to receive this support, they are “asked” to vote against any bill that would place more restrictions on these industries that would otherwise protect the environment.  This would mean less money for them and their campaigns, not to mention more money in their pockets.

This, as global temperatures increase, causing the sea level to rise, leading to more floods, droughts, stronger hurricanes, wildfires, and tropical insects migrating north, leading to more diseases.

The Republicans have a choice;  preservation of the environment or more money in their pockets.  Unfortunately, they do not care about the environment and the fact that they have cut back on pollution laws, allowing the industries to pollute more, thereby harming the environment, and especially young children (lead and mercury poisoning, breathing in soot) causing lung and brain damage is proof.  These are proven facts.  Yet the Republicans are doing nothing about this.

“In the mind of the general public, Republicans remain the party of the wealthy, the infamous 1%.”

True!  Look at how they lower taxes for the rich.  The money saved will simply add to their bank accounts;  this is money they do not need, will never miss, and cannot even begin to spend.  We, the American people pay for this, though higher taxes for the middle and working class, budget cuts on public services, such as police and fire protection.  All this results in an increased budget deficit, adding to an already bloated national debt.  This huge debt will someday catch up with us, leading to a collapsed economy.  What then?

“Republicans, in this view, are anti-Democrat, little more, with no appealing positions of their own, no worldview, no philosophy beyond their own selfishness.

“This, of course isn’t true.”

Oh, yes it is true;  all of it!

Republicans are passing voter suppression laws, claim to protect against voter fraud, but the American people see right through this fiasco.  The real reason is to keep Democrats from winning an office, ever again.

This smacks of one-party rule, by Republican Conservatives only, no one else.  This will lead to a totalitarian regime, the Constitution abolished, a revival of Jim Crow laws, and ALL rights taken away from Americans.  This is no exaggeration.

Look at Mitch McConnell’s actions in nominating Supreme Court justices.

The Republicans have no vision for American for the future.  The proposal for rebuilding the infrastructure came from Democrats.  They have no appealing positions for the American people, no worldview, and no philosophy.

Whatever philosophy they did have in the past is gone.

During the Watergate hearings back in the early 1970s, many Republicans did support Nixon, but when the cover-up was exposed, with all the corruption, bribes, blackmail, dealing with the F.B.I. and C.I.A. for Nixon’s advantage, all illegal actions, the Republicans turned against Nixon because they realized they could not support or condone his actions.  

The Republicans today will stoop to any level to keep themselves in power, going as far as ignoring the Constitution, passing voter suppression laws, reviving Jim Crow laws, and taking away women’s rights, all for wealth and power for themselves.

“This, of course, isn’t true.  But Republican leaders haven’t done enough to answer the charges against their own party.”

No they haven’t, and many of them are afraid to stand up for what’s right.

If what I have written so far is false, them all I have to say in response is, PROVE ME WRONG!

I would love to hear the other side of the story, but words are not enough.

If I am wrong, then, 

-Stop voter suppression!

-If you lose an election, take it like an adult and accept defeat!

-Fight for racial equality and women’s rights!

-Support the Constitution!

-Stop tolerating corrupt and power hungry leaders who preach hate and want to wreck the goals of the current President and other far-seeing leaders.  People like that have no place in government.

-Work across the aisle with Democrats.  Hear them out.  If they have good ideas, support them.  Once an election is over, it’s over.  Whoever wins is in office, whoever loses isn’t. Move on and govern the country.  

-Hatred of other officials, including the President, has no place here.  Co-operate with the President on essential matters, no matter what party he/she, or you are.

-Senator Mitch McConnell was bent on destroying the presidential administrations of both Obama and Biden.  This cannot be tolerated.  Someone like that should be removed from his position in the Senate or Congress, and replace with a decent, open, cooperative, and far seeing leader.

“Those tasks that only governments can perform - defense of the realm, the maintenance of law and order, the repair of the infrastructure, and the coordination of relief in emergencies - are force to compete for their budgets with activities that free citizens, left to themselves, might have managed far more effectively through the association of volunteers, backed up, when necessary, by private insurance.”

TRUE!  During the Depression of the 1930s, neighbors, even strangers, got together and provided for each other what was needed for survival without government assistance of any kind.  There were “Hoovervilles” in places, but even there, people looked out for one another, and this is the way it should be today.  This would make for better individuals and a better society.

There are, however, two flaws here.

The repair of the infrastructure no longer attracts the interest of the Republican Party.  A bill was passed to repair the infrastructure through Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, and many Republicans had to vote on it, including Mitch McConnell.  In order for them to protect their own positions of power, they’d better!  Otherwise, they wouldn’t care.

There is also private insurance companies. In the event of a disaster, big or small, insurance companies are hesitant to pay out the money when the beneficiary is struck by a catastrophe and needs it.  These companies just don’t want to pay it.

So of what use is insurance these days if one cannot be protected by it in the event of a tragedy?

One more point in the article, rather long, but efficient.

“Conservatism should be a defense of government, against its abuse by liberals.”  (Roger Scrution, English philosopher, 1944-2020)

“The growth of the welfare state is one notable such abuse, causing people to ‘turn their backs on freedom and become locked in social pathologies that undermine the cohesion of society.’

“One sees this above all in the countries of the European Union, where government is no longer felt to be owned by the people but is the property of ‘an anonymous bureaucracy’ on which all depends for their comforts.  In the U.S., this is still only true of those who depend on government welfare, but their number is growing.”

There is a lot to swallow here.  

I am not a Socialist, and I recognize the fact that the U.S. is not a Socialist country.  It never has been.

There has been a time in American history where, with a good, decent, well paying job, one could afford a house, a family, and afford to pay for food, medical bills, insurance, house and car repairs, a college education for their children, in other words, a good, decent living.

I know, I grew up in this society.

Today, all these institutions are not only extremely expensive, but are also predatory, especially insurance, the medical industry (with high drug prices and medical care) and education.

Both husband and wife working is not enough.  Banks charge high interest rates and will foreclose, i.e. taking their homes where something catastrophic happens within the family.

Many are forced to become homeless, move in with relatives who themselves can’t afford them, or they have to go on welfare.  They end up living in low quality dwellings and are charged high rents which the tenants cannot afford without government help.

Whose fault is this?  How did we ever reach a position such as this?  Was it greed?  Was it indifference?  Was it a loss of interest in maintaining a stable and prosperous society?

I cannot blame any one political party here, but the Conservatives are no better than the Liberals in this situation.

If the Conservatives say “That’s your problem,” or “Screw you,” what other alternative do these people have?

Here’s a paradox.  The Conservatives all favor corporate welfare, subsidizing big industries, especially fossil fuels.  Why?  These industries don’t need the money, they have enough profits to pay for whatever they need and any problem they need to confront.  So why subsidize them?  Many CEOs have their profits hoarded away on offshore accounts, and they don’t want to touch it.  So they depend on the government, i.e. the taxpayer, to give them more money so they can keep theirs, even though they would never miss it.  This is along with low tax rates.

This country, as a whole, is declining, but the Republicans don’t care, as long as they can hang on to their money and power.

When American society is finally divided into the very rich, who will be few, and the very poor, who will be the rest of us, with no middle class, we will collapse into sheer chaos, and NOBODY, even the rich, will be safe.

Conclusion

So there you have it.  If you don’t believe this, read the newspapers.  Read the words of Republican Senators and Congressmen to see what they’re saying.  Observe the expression on their faces when a bill that would otherwise benefit the American people gets killed, and they all rejoice.  Mitch McConnell especially has a smug and hateful look on his face, and that is what the Republican Congress has become.

Incidentally, at a recent rally, former President Donald Trump said that he will pardon everyone involved in the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol.  What does that say about him?  What will become of this society if he does?

The Republicans no longer care about the American people, and if they say otherwise, they are lying.  Problem is, not enough of their constituents realize this.

There was a times, even up to the 1980s, where the Republican Party did stand for the working class people and would stand behind those who are fending for themselves, or want to do so.

Those days are gone.  Now they stand for the very rich, being CEOs, industrialists, Wall Street executives, and other high positions on the ladder.  This may be because if the Republicans backs these people up, they will get a lot in return for it.

Many Republican voters today still cannot see this.  They still think that the Republican Party still stands for them, the working people, and that is no longer true.  They don’t care, and they do not respect them even when they vote for them and put them in office.  The Republicans will tell them what they want to hear, and then forget about them once they are in office.

There is one bright spot.  Many Republican Senators and Congressmen WANT to do what’s right, but they are afraid to vote against the wishes, orders really, of their leaders, Senate or House Leaders.  The fear of retaliation, even up to losing the next election.

One proof is that many wanted to vote for Trump’s removal from office during his impeachments, but were afraid to do so, because of the consequences they would suffer.  

What they truly lack is courage.  A true Senator or Congressman would stand up for what he or she believes in and cast their votes based on that, regardless of how their peers may feel.

To these people, if you are reading this, all I can say is show your courage.  Many of you went to President Biden saying they wanted to vote to support his programs, but were afraid.

Get some courage, and show it.  Vote for your beliefs, regardless of what your fellow party members may think, and let the chips fall where they may.

If you are blackmailed, ignore them, and let them carry it out.  Other members will come to your defense.

If you are denied votes on your causes that are good for the nation others will back you.

If you lose certain privileges, so what!  Do without them.

Express your beliefs, that is what you are there for.  

Go across the aisle and talk to opposing party members, you’ll be surprised at what they are willing to do for you.

In the end, you will gain more respect, from ALL members of the House and Senate.  This include self-respect, and, by speaking out, you will earn a more noticeable place in history.

This country is a Democracy.  It must remain that way.

Alastair Browne