WE’VE SEEN THIS RODEO BEFORE

Feb 21, 2022

Rob Lauer Political Reporter

We must heed lessons of the past when Europe gave into Hitler’s demands for more living space in Czechoslovakia. England said Czechoslovakia wasn’t worth the lives of British sons and gave into Hitler’s demands. The world cannot allow any nation, especially in Europe, to invade and conquer another nation ever again?

Did Hitler or Putin say this?

“In connection with the Ukraine (Jewish) question I have this to say: it is a shameful spectacle to see how the whole democratic world is oozing sympathy for the poor tormented Ukrainian (Jewish) people, but remains hard-hearted and obdurate when it comes to helping them which is surely, in view of its attitude, an obvious duty. . . .”

Today we face the same threat that has faced Europe for the past 500 years, empires and nations competing for land. Nothing new here, except America and NATO disrupted that historic trend and helped maintain peace and security in Europe since the end of World War II.

Now Putin is threatening to invade Ukraine over joining NATO. But, even if he doesn’t invade Ukraine, Putin maybe undermining NATO and its future if NATO allies don’t stand together now. After all, NATO was created to contain Russian aggression. NATO’s conception, unity and purpose are being tested.

U.S. and NATO should do the exact opposite of what Putin wants. We should sign Ukraine up as a NATO Allie, then send 300K NATO troops into Ukraine and protect them from Russia. Then we should cut off the pipeline from Russia to Germany that Biden approved last year, and then send Putin a bill for the entire mess.

If the U.S., France and England had sent troops to Czechoslovakia in January 1939, perhaps 50 million people would not have died in World War II.

In March 1938, Hitler occupied Austria. Churchill immediately responded, “Europe is confronted with a program of aggression, nicely calculated and timed, unfolding stage by stage, and there is only one choice open… either to submit, like Austria, or else to take effective measures while time remains to ward off danger.”

Winston continued, “If a number of States were assembled around Great Britain and France in solemn treaty for mutual defense against aggression; …and if it were done in the year 1938… then I say that you might even now arrest this approaching war.” “This is not a question of fighting for Danzig or fighting for Poland,” Churchill declared, “We are fighting to save the whole world from the pestilence of Nazi tyranny and in defense of all that is most sacred to man.” From his backbench seat in Parliament, Churchill yelled out, “Germany is arming- she is rapidly arming – and no one will stop her.”

In 1938 President Franklin Roosevelt appointed Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. the ambassador to Great Britain. Kennedy backed the appeasement policy of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, describing “Czechoslovakia and other nations threatened by Hitler as disposable countries,” according to Edward Renehan Jr.’s The Kennedys at War. During the Battle of Britain, Kennedy declared that democracy was “finished” in England and perhaps America, too. In a line from a speech that Roosevelt censored, he said, “I should like to ask you all if you know of any dispute or controversy existing in the world which is worth the life of your son?”

John F. Kennedy learned the lessons of appeasement in the face of war when he faced down the Soviet Union with force in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy succeeded in getting the Soviet Union to back down because the U.S. had medium range nuclear missiles around in Turkey. Which meant we already won any possible nuclear war with Russia at the time.

We learned this lesson in the 1980’s under Reagan. Sen. Biden and the Dems back then wanted to appease the old Soviet Union. Reagan implemented his policy of peace through strength. He built up our military and pushed over then Senator Biden’s objections space based missile defense. Biden lampooned it as Star Wars back then. Now its reality. And the Soviets went Bankruptcy trying to keep up and sued for peace. It was Reagan who challenged the Soviet Union with force in Europe, in South America and across the world that led to their collapse.

Too many Republicans running for Congress here in Nevada claim we have no national interests in Ukraine. Just like after World War I, Americans are war wary today and don’t see the point of helping the Ukrainians. We cannot let Biden’s failure in Afghanistan deter us now from standing up to Putin. Churchill agitated from the backbench in Parliament to stand up to Hitler even though, Neville Chamberlain, like Biden, was a weak leader.

We must stand with the people of Ukraine now. Putin is a war criminal and should be charged as such. Putin doesn’t get to determine if the Ukraine joins NATO or not. The people of Ukraine must decide for themselves. Putin already invaded and killed thousands of people in Crimea. Putin has killed everyone in Russia who opposed him. He now threatens the lives of 41 million people in Ukraine over a policy dispute with the west. Putin, like Hitler, poses a threat to world peace. Putin’s time must come to an end. He must pay a price for threatening world war. That was the lesson of World War II when we said never again.