Reject Two Big Lies
Propaganda is a staple of politics and war, but two big lies, one about Vladimir Putin and one we're likely to hear from Joe Biden on Tuesday need debunking.
Especially during military conflicts, propaganda is usually easy to spot and easier to ignore. But two things have me seething over some propaganda we've had to endure or likely to hear about Russia's evil dictator, Vladimir Putin, and a falsehood (among many) we're likely to hear from Joe Biden on Tuesday night during the annual State of the Union address.
First, I'm offended by the notion that Putin is somehow is a "man of faith" and a great defender of Christian values. No Christian would behave the way he is right now or has with his poisoning and murdering of people in places like Ukraine (its former President, Victor Yuschenko) and Alexander Litvinenko in England. He kills or tries to kill political opponents (e.g., Alexei Navalny, now a political prisoner).
And no Christian leader would invade a neighbor based on total lies, accusing Ukraine - led by a Jewish President and the grandson of Holocaust survivors - for harboring Nazism. He further falsely accused Ukraine of genocide, which is rich, given Putin's predecessor Joseph Stalin’s well-documented history of genocide against Ukrainians in 1932-33. The man is evil. Reason.com details more evidence against this stupid notion, spread too often by fringy, repugnant, and ignorable right-wingers.
Putin, while a self-avowed adherent to Russian Orthodoxy, has been no friend to religious expression. In 2016, he passed a law criminalizing evangelical efforts outside of church walls—a measure that hamstrings religious life in public, in the home, and online, and thus targets many Christians for displays of faith. Those displays don't have to be overt: In 2019, a Baptist pastor was charged with illegal missionary activity for having the audacity to lead a Baptist worship service, and two members of the same sect found themselves in hot water after handing out religious literature at a bus stop. Jehovah's Witnesses are often at the center of such prosecutions as well and can face up to 10 years in prison.
The restrictions also likely impact the Orthodox community, as the government requires that anyone sharing a faith have a permit to do so and constrain those efforts to religious sites. In 2017, a year after the law's passage, Russia earned an unenviable distinction on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's list of countries most hostile to the expression of faith (emphasis added). As of last year, it still sits atop that list, along with Syria, India, and Vietnam—places that perpetuate "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" violations of religious liberty.
You probably missed his recent comments that confirm what a miserable coot he is: "There is no happiness in life, only a mirage of it on the horizon, so cherish that." He had just finished a meeting with Joe Biden in Geneva. No self-respecting Christian ascribes to that; only a Bond villain. Just read John 15:11. Or perhaps Galatians 5:22.
Second, Biden, I expect, will lie that he's responsible for unifying NATO and orchestrating its response to Putin's war crimes and illegitimate invasion. Hogwash. Putin is responsible for unifying the world against him, followed by Ukraine's remarkable President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and engendering NATO’s surprisingly bold economic and military actions of the past 24 hours. Biden gave European countries early veto power over US sanctions. Even the Washington Post took note of Biden's slowness to even keep up with the Europeans.
Surprised by the unusually rapid European decision, the White House scrambled over the weekend to catch up in drafting its own related measures, according to one American and one European official. The latest sanctions mean the Western allies are effectively waging financial war against Russia, matching Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine with attacks on the foundation of a $1.5 trillion economy.
Biden gets credit for only enabling Putin through badly misguided climate and energy policies and demonstrating weakness and appeasement abroad while jacking up inflation, led by gasoline prices, and catering to open borders advocates at home. Biden, in effect, replaced the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada by making Russia our second-largest importer of foreign oil, then removed sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany, apparently getting nothing in return. Nuts. Germany came to its senses and canceled the pipeline before Biden reversed course. And it gets worse.
Biden’s SOTU rightfully should praise Ukrainian courage and resiliency in the face of evil and unjustified aggression and war crimes and reaffirm America’s support. He should invite Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to address a joint session of Congress once his crisis passes (if he survives). Biden should praise NATO colleagues for stepping up the plate - albeit belatedly - to isolate and punish Vladimir Putin and his evil regime.
Biden does deserve credit for helping give Zelenskyy his Churchill moment. From the New York Post:
The US government offered to evacuate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from Kyiv — but he declined.
“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky said, The Associated Press reported, citing a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation.
Zelensky, 44, instead chose to remain in Ukraine’s capital as Russian forces brought the fight to the city streets, where gunfire and explosions were heard overnight Friday into Saturday.
The besieged president said his family had been evacuated to safety.
“I am staying in the government quarters together with others,” Zelensky said in a video address early on Friday. “The enemy has designated me as target number one, and my family as target number two.”
He should also praise and encourage protestors around the world - including Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg - for their courage in standing up to Putin. About 1,700 Russians have been arrested in connection with anti-war protests. Those sentiments are bipartisan and vital for Americans and the world to hear.
It would also be very cool - a stroke of genius - if he offered political asylum and a path to citizenship for any Russian shoulder who lays down his arms and makes their way to a NATO country. Every NATO country should offer that. Yes, I know that qualifies as desertion and is unrealistic, but it might further exacerbate reports of poor morale among Russian troops. It would also be a massive poke in the eye to Putin.
It will be the only genuinely bipartisan if not inspirational items we can expect from a speech that ostensibly is about the “state of the union.” Which isn’t very good, with higher inflation at home; appeasement abroad; failed and confusing policies and pronouncements on the pandemic; education policies that put teacher unions first and students last; and opening our southern border while closing police precincts. I can’t wait to see how he spins that.