RAGE

Do not go gentle into that good night,

…
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

–Dylan Thomas

As the Russian army shells the snot out of Ukraine, everyday Ukrainians are fighting back with rage.  They are making Molotov cocktails, gathering up small arms, and vowing to never give in to occupation.  This despite overwhelming odds.  The whole world is watching but wondering how long Ukrainians can hold out.

In the meantime, over a million have fled—mostly women and children as the men stay back to fight.  Putin has offered humanitarian corridors to Russia or Belarus.  Ukrainians told him to stick it.  Peace demonstrations are popping up all over, including apparently in Russia, where participation will get you thrown in jail.  Just reporting the news and telling it like it is—e.g., war—will get you 15 years.

Putin has stated that the economic sanctions imposed are tantamount to a declaration of war.   He has darkly hinted that he has nuclear weapons.  The West is trying to avoid WWIII, even as Ukrainian President Zelensky has pleaded for imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine.  The fear is if a Russian jet is shot down then it would be WWIII.

I think it will take more than rage to end this mess.  I don’t see Putin backing down.  He is hell bent on re-establishing the old Soviet Union.  Our best hope is that he’ll sober up when he realizes the whole world is against him.  I’m not sure that even this will cause a madman to change his mind.