We Americans live a very sheltered life. We are fortunate that there have been no wars on our soil since we battled the British in 1812. Some might consider the 9/11 tragedy a foreign war, but there were no troops on our soil.
I have never had a conversation with my friends about such places as Kosovo, Rwanda, Aleppo or Yemen. But the far-off tragedy in Ukraine should be a part of our daily thinking because Vladimir Putin is unhinged and dangerous.
Foreign wars rarely impact on our daily lives. Occasionally gasoline prices spike due to a cut off in foreign supply or there is some foreign-made product that is no longer available for purchase.
But this war promises to keep America on its toes for many years to come and we will pay a price in many different ways.
There are very few of our readers who were around during World War II. As a young child, I have a few memories about what it was like to live in a democracy at a time when the world was in the midst of a foreign war.
I do know that gasoline sold for $21 a gallon with a three-gallon limit, and meat and other precious products were rationed. I also recall that in 1973 during the Arab-Israel war, gasoline sold for seven dollars a gallon, thanks to the cut back in Arab oil production.
Whenever precious commodities like gasoline become expensive, some politicians immediately look for a scapegoat.
Some of my Republican friends tell me it is President Biden’s fault, but the facts say otherwise. The price of a gallon of gas began to rise in 2019 under then President Trump and has continued to rise.
The COVID pandemic interrupted oil and gas production at a time when we were energy sufficient. With a growing number of petroleum workers disabled due to illness, production fell behind and the amount of stored gasoline declined.
When the public decided it was time to drive again, there was less gasoline available. When consumption went up the energy industry got greedy and arbitrarily raised prices.
The next Republican knock on President Biden is that he is listening to the environmental groups and that’s why gasoline prices are rising. When you examine the facts, there is a different story to tell.
Last year, the Biden administration issued 3,500 oil and gas drilling permits, which is 35 percent higher, than the number granted by the former president during his first year in office. In addition, there are 9,000 permits ready for use by any oil or gas company willing to drill.
There is no doubt that the president is opposed to drilling in the Arctic, but there are lots of good reasons why industry should be stopped from despoiling the last refuge of an endangered animal population.
The decision to stop buying oil products from Russia will raise some pump prices but at a time when the Russian Premier is slaughtering thousands of innocent Ukrainians. There is no reason to reward his country with American dollars.
If anyone deserves praise at this crucial time in world history it is Joe Biden. Prior to the invasion, Mr. Putin was under the impression that the 30 NATO countries were weak and disorganized. Thanks to the president, NATO has joined forces and placed over 100,000 soldiers on alert in countries close to the Russian border.
If you are an American citizen who thinks that the war in Ukraine is no threat to America you are sadly mistaken.
Vladimir Putin has been locked up in the Kremlin for two-plus years due to his paranoia about COVID. Plus, there is no doubt that he is fearful that one of his close confidantes might decide to end his madness with some type of lethal method.
It is safe to assume that if Putin is able to conquer Ukraine, he may turn his attention to a NATO country that was once in his Russian orbit.
The late President Roosevelt once told America “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” But this is 2022 and we have much to fear from the mad man in the Kremlin.