In Discussing Putin
By: Deborah Sirotkin Butler
In discussing Putin, I make clear that I agree with former General Smedley Butler who wrote the book War is a Racket. Too often our own country used its armies in support of plutocrats. That being said, what the Nazis did when ruled by Hitler and the fascist Nazi ideology was fundamentally genocidal – which is also true as to treatment of Native Americans on the North and South American continents.
As Putin’s War shows, there is enough of the dark desire for power and supremacy in the human heart that “never again” will take vigilance and determination.
Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and raining of bombs and shells on civilians, hospitals, schools and apartment buildings proves that point, as do the mass abductions of women and children reported.
What then? By prayer, fasting, transfer of war materials, and possibly boots on the ground this COULD be a time to draw the line. To say barbarism and genocide and treating others as sub human stops here.
Putin, by his massive miscalculations and hubris has made the declaration of “this stops here.” …something being considered by many. His jealous hatred of what Ukraine, in its metanoeo was becoming, is so evident.
Another more trained than I wrote:
“To win at war, the military leader Sun Yat-sen said there were three things you must own: knowledge of the region, the people, and the situation on the ground.
Putin has failed magnificently at all three, thinking NATO and the USA would be weak, that Ukrainians would flee in the face of the Russian army, or welcome them in as brothers upon entry.”
YES. Putin misjudged the region, the people, and the responses from neighbors and in fact entire national populations. Putin is seen as a Hitlereque villain by what appear to be billions of people. So much so that even what is good from Russian culture such as its great musicians may be shunned as reeking of Putin!
Will Putin multiply this odious result by being the second country to use nuclear weapons? Let us not forget that to our shame, the USA did this first.
The way to honor for Putin is not through more war crimes. The true way to honor is heroic metanoeo – some might call this heroic repentance, and rather than behaving like a cornered rat, to be the one to heroically step back from the brink.
As for the allegation of “Nazis”, sadly every country has Nazis. The USA has them, Russia has them, everywhere. These are the people who see other human beings as chattels, inferior, and subhuman. To me, currently, Putin’s behavior towards Ukraine and other Eastern Europeans is that of a Nazi.
Really, the best thing I can do now us to call Putin to repentance to save his soul and the lives of many people and just hope that somehow he hears my words.
Maybe #DmitriMedvedev will tell him. Chubais left and will not.
