The Good Guys are Winning…So Far

At this point of the unfolding story in Ukraine—Monday morning the 28th of February at 7:34—there are many encouraging developments. The Russian military machine has proven to be about as dependable as your old 1975 Chevette. Instead of a Blitzkrieg their advance has been slowed to a crawl by fuel shortages, lack of continuity and an inability to establish control of the air. But mostly their goals of conquest have been thwarted by the Ukrainian armed forces, a bad-ass citizenry, and a heroic young leader. The combination of all three has produced a world wide wave of support for their cause and an equally unanimous condemnation of Vladimir Putin that has reached every corner of the globe except the far right of the Republican Party. The world loves an underdog and most of the world at least identifies with the victims of aggression, not the perpetrators of aggression.

Which brings me to what for me has been the most positive development of the past week and that is the sea change that has jolted Europe awake from its naïveté. Suddenly, the heroic actions of Ukrainians has inspired countries like Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and even France and Germany to actually step up to help. Germany is sending tons of military equipment for the first time in forever. Aid and money and even troop deployments have followed. After a halting start, caution has been thrown to the wind with the imposition of sanctions—the real kind that hurt—not some slap on the wrist half steps. Europe, for what seems like the first time in my adult life, hasn’t been waiting around for Uncle Sam to do all the heavy lifting in the defense of one of their own. In fact, our own response has been prodded along by trying to keep up with the newfound backbone of the Europeans. Biden seems always to be behind the curve of the response level needed. For some what I have just described will sound like a diminishment of American power and prestige. For me this is the greatest news in the area of foreign policy I’ve had in ages. Finally, America isn’t the world’s policeman, the first and last resort. Finally, Europe is taking the lead to try and solve a European problem. Finally, NATO is operating like something other than a proxy for the United States military.

Although this conflict isn’t even a week old at this point and the numbers on the ground still heavily favor the invading Russians, the momentum seems to be firmly on the side of the defenders of democracy. And at this point those defenders are 100% Ukrainian. Their courage, tenacity, and unity of purpose has been an inspiration to the world. It has even moved the pacifist hearts of Europe to action. This borders on the miraculous. Many dangers remain. Putin is on a path that leads to humiliation—always a dangerous corner in which to push an autocrat with a nuclear arsenal. Hit squads are apparently in Ukraine tasked with assassinating Zelensky. The military tide may still turn if the lumbering Russian military finds its stride. But, as of this morning Ukraine is winning, Europe is winning, and we are winning by keeping our military out of the conflict.

“I Don’t Need a Ride, I Need Ammo”

Just in case there are any American politicians reading this blog, this is what leadership looks like…

“The fight is here. I don’t need a ride, I need ammo.”

This guy isn’t perfect. He’s had an uneven presidency, made his share of mistakes. Furthermore, by the time you read this, he might be dead. But here’s what I know about Volodymyr Zelensky—confronted with the worst possible scenario, this man has had the courage of a lion and has given a master class in how to rally a beleaguered country. Rarely has there been a combination of eloquence and physical bravery demonstrated by a head of State in modern times, since Churchill during the Blitz. This man is the man of the hour for Ukraine. God bless and protect him and give grace to the Ukrainian army.

One more thing that I hope my countrymen have noticed which I will say without elaboration…this man is 44 years old.

Good News and Bad News

So this falls into the category of good news/bad news, delivered to me by the United States Postal Service yesterday when I received the latest edition of Down East Magazine. On the cover of this fabulous periodical was a picture of Main Street of the winning town in their annual contest—Best Places to Live in Maine…

When Pam and I go to Maine, there are two towns we spend a lot of time in mostly because they are both roughly the same distance from the lake where we live. These two towns are both wonderful, quaint and endlessly charming places to spend a morning, afternoon or evening and they are both on the ocean. One is Camden, the other is pictured in this photograph—Belfast, Maine.

 

The good news is that this award is well deserved. Belfast is a wonderful place filled with great shops and restaurants and a variety of quirky co-ops and breathtaking views around every corner. The bad news is that with this added publicity now more people than ever will want to move here, which will send real estate prices skyward—the very last thing you need when you’re trying to buy a lake house.

Just in case you’re curious, I have circled below all the different lakes we have rented cabins on over the years. The one with double circles is our beloved Quantabacook.

Our crack real estate agent, Tiffany Ford, sent me a text this week saying, “I’m feeling like we’re going to find your lake house this year.”  When I asked on what she was basing this optimism her answer was, “Because I feel it.” This is in sharp contrast to my feeling that I have never been more discouraged about our chances, to which she cracked in that quintessential Maine way—“Stop being a pessimist!!”

What Guts Looks Like

And now for your daily dose of bravery. This Ukrainian women delivers the goods…

She walks up to this random Russian soldier and demands to know, “What the f**k are you doing here in our land with all these guns?” The soldier then tells her to move along but she persists, “You’re occupants, you’re fascists.” The soldier responds that their discussion will lead to nothing and once again tells her to leave. Then the woman puts some kind of Ukrainian curse on him and hands him a small bag of sunflower seeds—the national flower of Ukraine—and drops the mic with this, “Take these seeds and put them in your pocket. That way at least flowers will grow where you die here.”

I nominate this amazing woman for the Nobel Peace Prize.

What Was Old is New Again

The images of tanks streaming into Ukraine this morning is a visceral reminder that what was old is new again. These were the images that our fathers grew up with. Back then it was grainy black and white news reels between shows at the movies, screaming headlines in dark black letters splashed across the newspapers. Now, my Apple Watch buzzes me awake with the notification that war has begun in Eastern Europe. I come downstairs and see the live stream from the border, rows of military vehicles, spent missile fragments in town squares cordoned off with police tape, long lines of Ukrainian men signing up for military service, silver streaks across the sky then a flash of orange in the distance followed by billows of black smoke. I listen to some official at the UN holding a live press conference talking about solidarity, contingency plans and a virtual summit meeting scheduled for later today.

I read of the denunciations coming in from all over the world, from practically every country I’ve ever heard of including my own. My President calls it an “unprovoked and unjustified attack” that will result in “catastrophic loss of life.” Leaders of Europe are talking about severe sanctions and economic isolation, to which Vladimir Putin’s reaction so far seems to be communicated clearly in this photograph…

Now we all will get to see what happens when the New World Order meets an Old World strongman with nuclear weapons. Maybe Putin overreaches. Maybe the Ukrainian military surprises him by their fighting spirit. Maybe he has vastly overestimated his strength. Maybe the sanctions eventually prove too much for his backwater economy to handle. Maybe he pulls back. But, there’s another possibility. Maybe he succeeds and within months or even weeks, Ukraine falls. Will that be enough to assuage his appetite for conquest? Or will he then turn his eyes towards other former Soviet client states like Lithuania, Latvia, or Georgia? Then what?

Whatever happens, we better get used to seeing photographs like this of a woman injured by an air strike in Kharkiv…

Knowing exactly what to do in moments like this is far beyond my education, training and experience. I wouldn’t know where to begin in crafting a response. Geopolitics is beyond my pay grade. All I know is that I don’t want to see pictures like this one where the bloody face is an American Marine. But still, the heart goes out to the innocent civilians who will absorb the brunt of Putin’s ego trip. My heart is with the Ukrainian military who will muster their defense against an overwhelming, hostile force. And my prayers this morning are for the leaders of my country that they will find the wisdom to make the right call in response.

My Wife Saves the Day

Here we go…

Russian tanks enter Ukraine on Tuesday, 2/22/22, the very same day that my wife celebrates this numerically significant date by wearing a tutu to school.  

Something tells me I will never forget this day and what I was doing the morning that Vladimir Putin launched his campaign to reintroduce Russian power and control over Eastern Europe. I was worried, concerned about the impact of events on the markets and my clients. I was consumed with reading everything I could find about the situation on the ground in Donetsk. I was checking out the overnight numbers from Hong Kong and Japan, the early morning movement in London and Paris. Then, Pam came down the stairs…

Ladies and gentlemen, there are times in this life when the day is saved by the serendipitous. One of the founding pastors of my church, Pete Bowell likes to say, “You go nowhere by accident.” Well, this morning it was no accident that my wife came downstairs looking for all the world like a blond sunflower. I went from existential angst to whimsical delight in an instant. A verse I just read from Psalm 30 came to mind—Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Then, from this morning’s reading in Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing new under the sun…”

There have been Vladimir Putins in the world since the dawn of time. Naked power grabs by the strong against the weak are practically a proverb. This too shall pass and when it does, the lasting memory I will take from it will not be of a Russian tank silhouetted in the predawn mist, but of my amazing wife creating for her students a very special day.

Who Won?

What follows is from a text conversation I had with my daughter yesterday. I was attempting to explain to this child why all of her many wonderful traits were bequeathed to her by my superior genes. She countered with the assertion that many of her best qualities probably came from her mother. As an example she brought up…poise.

Who won this argument?