I am an American. I am a God-fearing proud American. My brother calls me a zealous patriot. I can handle that. I am a proud retiree from the Army National Guard of the United States of America with 30 years of service to the country I love. I bleed Red, White, and Blue. I get angry at protestors who desecrate my flag. I support their right to protest, not their right to burn my flag. I get fired up at stories of people who feel this country owes them something more than the absolute freedoms they already enjoy and take for granted. I put my hand over my heart during the Star Spangled Banner or the Pledge of Allegiance. I would gladly take nothing more than a 2X4 into defense of this country if I had nothing more.
And I am scared.
With the situation in Ukraine moving into a tense hotspot, the president of the United States has threatened Russia. "…there will be consequences…" Now there are those who will say that statement can be referring to sanctions, or embargoes, or other non-conflict means. And maybe that is what is being implied - BUT - words are what they are… words. And the words used can be taken to mean different things to each person who hears them. And each person decides how they will hear them and how they will respond to them.
Before I go any farther in this, let me be very clear on something. In this moment, while expressing my concern, I am not going to bash any party, or any individual. I do not like nor agree with many of the things going on in our country right now, but that is my opinion. As I've said before, opinions are like armpits - everybody has a couple and they all stink. I have friends, dear friends, with political views different from mine, and that's okay. It is not my intent to alienate anyone, nor start any argument.
No matter a person's political preference, or even lack thereof, this type of threatening should shake you to your boots. How can any leader threaten such a massive powerhouse mere days after announcing that our military is going to be gutted. State's National Guard units will be slashed or shut down completely. Those very National Guard units that were originally formed in the 1600s to protect our own shores from invasion and attack. (Spring of 1636 for those who may be wondering.) Active duty unit levels to be lower than pre-WWII. Hear that again - the military at a lower level of manpower than BEFORE WORLD WAR II.
This scares the hell out of me.
Did you watch the Olympics? Did you ever see anyone any scarier than Vladimir Putin? Even when smiling and golf-clapping his own athletes, he looked like a man ready to pull someone's head off their neck with his bare hands. Yes, it was well-reported and pontificated that Russia's Olympic Games were "all about Russia, and all about Putin." He was making a visual statement seen 'round the world. And it was. And it is scary. He has shown on numerous occasions that he is scared of no one, and will do whatever it takes for everyone to know HE is in charge and in control.
He scares the hell out of me.
I don't know what will happen next. I don't know all the political posturing that may be happening out of sight right now. I don't know how to feel about our chances if something does break out. I DO know that I will begin reading and absorbing more information about the comparisons between our country's power and Russia's power. And I also know that we, as Americans, must become concerned about where our country is going, no matter who is running it. And we must figure out how to save this country, or we will one day lose it.
And that scares the hell out of me more than anything else.
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