When I write, I assume the reader’s knowledge of the subject. I found out that what I thought was obvious and well-known is not so for many readers. For example, last week I mentioned about Fani Willis. I failed to mention that Fulton County is in Georgia and that she is the District Attorney who brought state charges against Donald Trump relating to the 2020 election. The week before, I mentioned how ridiculous it was to impeach Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. I figured people knew that the standard for impeaching a cabinet official and president is the same high crimes and misdemeanors. Just like you cannot impeach the president because you do not like the job his is doing, the same applies to a cabinet official. The last time a cabinet member was impeached was in 1876, when the Secretary of War was found to have been involved in a kickback scheme.
Now to my main topic. Within the past two weeks, opposition leader Alexei Navalny died under mysterious circumstances in a Siberian prison. In August 2020, Russian agents tried to poison Navalny with a nerve agent when he was on a plane. To no one’s surprise, the Russian government claims he died of natural causes. They held up releasing his body for more than a week which made it difficult to determine the cause of death. A dual Russian-American citizen, Ksenia Karelina, was arrested while she in Russia visiting her grandmother. The crime for which she was charged with treason? She had donated $51 to a Los Angeles-based organization supporting Ukrainians. Alexander Smirnov, who had been an FBI informant, peddled Russian disinformation about Hunter Biden and President Biden receiving money from a foreign entity, which was the basis of the House of Representatives impeachment investigation.
It is clear why Vladimir Putin has become bolder in his conduct. He sees what is going on in the United States, where a segment of one party has become Russia-friendly or has Russian-friendly policies. Donald Trump recently revealed comments he made while president to a “significant” NATO country, that if they did not pay their fair share for defense then the United States would not abide by its obligation to defend them if attacked by Russia. He would encourage Putin to do whatever he wants. Trump, along with the MAGA isolationists, have opposed aid to Ukraine, which would lead to a Russian victory in the war. Right now, Speaker Mike Johnson will not even allow a vote on the proposal that includes significant military aid for Ukraine. The leadership in the House of Representatives did not call out Russia for spreading disinformation. For them, there are two types of disinformation: good disinformation if it is about their opponents, and bad disinformation if it is about their side.
Meanwhile, “journalist” Tucker Carlson went to Russia to speak with Putin and see how ordinary Russians live. Besides Tucker giving a softball interview to Putin, his description of everyday life in Russia was laughable. If you have not seen Tucker’s show, you can see the highlights or lowlights in Jon Stewart’s Daily Show. Tucker made comments such as that Moscow is better than any city in America, and “seeing what things cost and how people live (in Russia), it will radicalize you against our leaders.” I remember during the Vietnam War in 1972, when actress Jane Fonda went to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun, she was called “Hanoi Jane.” If Tucker likes Russia so much and thinks it’s better than America, he should move there. Good riddance. You could try to dismiss Tucker as an outlier, but there are plenty of those on the right who support Russia against Ukraine.
I feel like this is 1938. Germany threatened Czechoslovakia with an invasion unless they gave up the Sudetenland, which contained many Czechoslovakian fortifications. Czechoslovakia had a decent army which would been able to defeat or weaken the German war machine. Instead, on September 30, 1938, Great Britain and France sold out the Czechs and agreed to Hitler’s demands. The United States was not interested in getting involved in European wars. Hitler was emboldened by the West’s weakness and invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
The Biden administration and the rest of Europe have learned their lesson. That’s why they are supporting Ukraine. Trump and the MAGA isolationists are making the same mistake as what happened in the 1930s. The more you kowtow to dictators, the stronger they get. Putin has clearly set out his goal: to return to the days of the USSR. Just like in 1939, domination of Europe will go through Poland. Then the United State will be involved directly in the war just like in 1941. The best way to send a message to Putin and the rest of the world is to pass the aid package to Ukraine. Putin will get the message and China will get the message. The United States supports their allies against aggression, whether it’s far-right Russia or far-left China. This will help avoid a much worse situation.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
