There is no place like home

I am on the long train again tonight. It was a busy time here at home in Kyiv. We are working on our film project – we are close to the end. There is so much to do. It has been a long and intense journey. The film is in good shape, but we have many curve balls and challenges. This is the most purposeful project I have ever worked on. Please God it makes a difference.

The weather in Kyiv has been good and of course the recent news from America has lifted everyone spirits. So the city was busy and buzzing. For a few moments this past week it almost felt like things were normal, but of course, nothing is normal here. There is nothing normal about air raid sirens and bomb shelters. Just about every day/night some city (often multiple cities) in Ukraine is under attack. God knows when this madness will end. And how come so much of the world still does business with Russia?! I just don’t get it. What more do people need to witness for them to go “Those guys are evil.” How many more Ukrainians have to suffer for someone to finally go “Enough!”

It is always sad to leave Kyiv, but I will be back again soon. The mood was more upbeat than a month ago, but yes, people are exhausted and anxious. For men that are eligible for the military this is a big source of stress. Everyone wants to help their country but not everyone wants to shoot a gun. I have many friends here that are on edge. One of the main heartaches is the uncertain future. How can anyone plan anything – on one knows what is going to happen. We all believe Ukraine will not disappear, but at what cost will this freedom come?

I was reading a comment from a journalist in Kyiv which made a lot of sense, “Though the war seems bleak now, it’s not hopeless, especially when considering the first days of the full-scale invasion and Kyiv’s refusal to fall.”

Slava Ukraini !

Yes !!!

Finally, the Americans did the right thing. There is hope on the horizon. Tomorrow I am on the long train ride heading to Kyiv. I can’t wait to get back home, again. The mood in Ukraine will be different – spirits lifted through the night.

The House vote right now in support of new aid to Ukraine was 311 vs 112 (one present) . This vote is almost exactly what it was last September. For all those of you who claimed that support for Ukraine was fading in the House, you were wrong. – Michael McFaul

It should have been unanimous. What Russia is doing is pure evil. There is no other side of the story. Ukraine is fighting for freedom and has truth on its side. Yes, Ukraine has many problems which need to be sorted out, but Ukraine’s heart is in the right place.

Double standards

Last weekend Iran launched a massive attack on Israel. My parents are from Israel and Israel is a part of my life too. It is good that America, the UK and other countries helped Israel, and thank God the pain and destruction was minimal. But Ukraine gets attacked like this every week, and it feels like no one in America and the West cares. Of course, I hope I am wrong.

In a recent Washington Post article it spoke of the US requesting Ukraine to stop targeting Russian oil refineries. The concern is that it could raise global energy prices. How about asking the Russians to stop sending missiles and drones to Ukraine. The concern is that could cause people to die.

I don’t see too many Republicans arguing that Israel should disarm as a strategy to get Israel and Iran to negotiate a peace settlement. But you do often see lots of Republicans argue that Ukraine should disarm as a strategy to get Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a peace settlement.

Israel is not in NATO but US and UK fighter jets helped shoot down Iranian drones. These are the same Shahed drones that Russia keeps attacking Ukraine with. Ukraine can’t even get a Patriot air defense system from America. People are suffering in Ukraine. Millions have had their way of life destroyed, been displaced, and everyday the pain and destruction continues.

This is not a blog piece about Israel, but about Ukraine.

One thing is for sure, nukes are going to be on the rise. Any country with nukes will be treated mildly if they break international law. This is what we have seen with Russia. So for sure, expect more nukes in the world, not less. This all could have been avoided, in my view, if America and the West simply armed Ukraine properly. There was actually a contract in place called the Budapest Memorandum, but it seems that these contracts aren’t worth the paper they are written on. If people in Estonia, for example, think a piece of paper is going to protect them from a Russian attack then they are naive. Again, that is my view. NATO is weak, and Russia can see this. Russia will not stop unless they are stopped.

I follow a bunch of people online (mainly on Twitter) like Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Bill Browder, Michael McFaul, etc. Yes, they are all very smart people who understand exactly that Russia is evil and that Ukraine needs weapons etc. But I feel more and more they are all talking to themselves. Where is the help from the America and the West? When is this madness going to end? Nothing seems to change – they can make Tweets all day, and write articles in the FT, The Atlantic, Economist, get interviewed on CNN, etc. but nothing is changing when it comes to support for Ukraine. Just story after story, and the endless delays. It just makes no sense. And it is cruel and unfair.

God bless America

“American weakness in Ukraine has led to the Iranian bombing of Israel. It will only get worse from here on in. Defeat the Authoritarian Axis in Ukraine or prepare to pay a far higher price.”

America is full of shit

“I was telling them: ‘Guys, everyone is promising us. We will have shells, armored vehicles. In a bit we’ll have F-16.’ Did I tell them lies?”

Liudmyla Menyuk, call-sign “Malva”, is a Ukrainian Warrior. She lost her son in the war and many of her brothers-in-arms.

Liudmyla spoke to Western allies of Ukraine, asking them not to stall weapon and ammunition supplies to Ukraine.

“Malva” is so strong and brave.

She is Ukrainian.

Missiles and more missiles

How many missiles do these lunatics haves? It just doesn’t seem to ever end. And of late, the intensity of the attacks has increased. Also, so many of the components in these missiles come from Western companies. I guess we are starting to understand some of the downsides of globalization, er, greed.

If missiles were raining down in the city where you lived and no one seemed to be in a hurry to come to your aid then how would you feel?

If Ukraine falls (which I can’t imagine will happen) then the world is going to go to hell. This I believe with all of my being.

Russia invaded Ukraine full on. Ukraine posed no threat to Ukraine. Russia just didn’t want a vibrant, spirited ex-girlfriend living next door. And if they can’t get the girlfriend back, then they want to try and destroy her. That is pure evil. This is not just about Ukraine and Russia – this is more about good and evil. And if the world doesn’t come to its senses soon and pick a side, then the evil will spread. The dictators of the world are all becoming buddies but the democracies in the free world are not united. This is a big problem.

What really boggles my mind is that the combined economies of the world’s largest free-market nations are a giant combined when compared to Russia which has an economy the size of Texas. And yet , for some reason, sending aid to Ukraine is like pulling teeth. It just makes no sense to me.

“It is Russia’s Putin, not Putin’s Russia. This is something that many people do not understand. It is not Putin’s war against Ukraine. Even if you take out Putin, nothing will change. He is a symptom of a much bigger sickness.”

www.the-warsaw.com/93915/klientov-v-tri-raza-bolshe-chem-god-nazad-varshavskij-srednij-klass-skupaet-nedvizhimost-v-ispanii-na-sluchaj-esli-v-polshe-nachnjotsja-vojna/

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle (384 – 322 BC)

Please God something changes soon

I am on a train. Just left the central station in Kyiv. In about 20 hours I will be in Wroclaw. The train is full and quiet. The mood is hard to describe.

I had a few people ask me how things felt In Kyiv compared to a month ago. Nothing has changed, and that is the problem. Where is the US funding? Where are the F-16’s? Where are the replenishment air defense missiles? The ammunition? Yes, everyone is waiting for the support to arrive, but it still has not. Something better change soon. Ukrainians are growing more and more mistrusting of America, and it is easy to understand why.

On Thursday at 3 am there was another big missile strike on Kyiv. From what I understand from the news, no one died. But there was a lot of destruction. I was in the bomb shelter from 3 am until just after 6 am. There were mothers with us, with small children. It is all so insane. How can this be happening in this day and age? Of all the problems in the world, this one was made by one evil little man, and his mad friends. It makes no sense. What is the point of this war?! The world is fast asleep in my view, and I think we are going to all pay a price for this complacency. A bigger war is coming. Russia is like a cancer – it will keep spreading, unless it is stopped. The evils of the world are all becoming pals, and the democracies in the West are not united.

Then on Friday in the small hours there was another huge missile strike on Kyiv, and in other parts of the land. It is just pure evil. And the evil is spreading. Russian helped the evil that Hamas unleashed last year on Israel. I will bet the farm on this.

Robert De Niro Dumps on Trump | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

What is he thinking … ?

The Bunster and I spent the morning together yesterday in the old town here in Wroclaw. It was good for the soul. This little man speaks 3 languages and has lived in so many different places, and he is only 3 years old. He is of course very lucky. The war has destroyed so many people’s lives and there is death constantly. What happened now in Odessa with that apartment building that was hit is just pure evil, and it does not stop.

I never know what the Bunster is thinking. What comes out of his mouth is often such a surprise and it can be so delightful. While we were strolling around together he says that he loves mommy and that he loves daddy. I asked him if he also loves his toy cars and if he loves chocolate. He thinks for a few moments and says “I like my toy cars and chocolate. They are not people. Mommy and daddy are people.” I can eat him up.

So that is what goes through the mind of a Bun. And what his dad is thinking is as follows: How come this man Johnson can hold up the aid to Ukraine because he is influenced by Trump, who is not the boss, but Biden, who is the boss, can do nothing to get Johnson to do the right thing. It just does not add up. It seems like Trump has captured the Republicans. I am no expert on American politics but the system appears to be dysfunctional, and again, something feels off. Where is the political will? Where is their memory? Where is their conscious?

Another thought I have … what will happen at year end with the elections in America. If Trump wins, well, er, God help us all. And if Trump loses, then what happens. If Biden wins by a landslide then I think all will be ok, but if it is very close, and Trump loses, then what will happen. Trump is going to go crazy and start screaming how it was rigged, and how it was stolen from him … and his base of gun owning intellectuals is going to do what exactly ?! I am scared to think. I reckon a civil war could erupt in America. I see Alex Garland’s film “Civil War” opens in theaters next month. A taste of things to come … ???