Monday, March 7, 2022

Russia vs Ukraine: A silver lining?

If there is one tiny silver lining in Russia’s war with Ukraine it would be my hope that maybe some on the Left would finally wake up.

Generally speaking, people on the Left tend to have a naïve, Pollyanna view of the world: i.e., that people are basically good, and if they’re not it's just because they lack education or lack self-esteem, or live in poverty, or in a bad environment, or have been oppressed.
Therefore, if we were just more sensitive to their needs and implement social justice programs and outlaw guns, and defund the police and the military, and destroy all our nuclear weapons, and negotiate endlessly— the rest of the world would follow our lead and we could all sit down in a big circle and sing naïve, feel-good songs like, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I’d like to hold it in my arms and keep it company.”
But along comes Russia which invades Ukraine, a smaller country with a significantly smaller military, that posed no security threat to Russia. In fact, Ukraine even gave up all is nukes—just like the Left has urged America to do!
Ukraine believed the West’s empty promises to defend it—because the Left (Bill Clinton at the time) was so naive he never dreamed that Ukraine would ever need defending. Just like the Left believed North Korea’s lies about just wanting nuclear power for electricity, and how the Left now thinks that’s all Iran wants!
The Left is now confronted with the harsh world of reality. Russia invades Ukraine, shelling civilian neighborhoods and even a nuclear power plant, killing hundreds of people, sending millions into exile, and even threatening nuclear war!
Why? All of Putin’s lies aside, it was for no other reason than because Putin and his oligarchs covet the rich resources Ukraine has to offer—and they don’t care how many people they have to kill to get it!
So, I hope Russia’s invasion will lead some on the Left to wake up, look evil in the face, and understand that destroying our nukes and laying down our weapons does not lead to peace.
On a smaller scale, defunding the police and handing out more lenient sentences does not lead to less violence. Weakness and appeasement lead to violence and war!
Many would argue that this is precisely why, after four years of peace, we now face the possibility of World War III after only one year of the current Leftist regime.
In theological terms, people are not basically good. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There are “none righteous, no not one!” We are “dead in trespasses and sins!”
It was this reality—that all are sinners, and that power corrupts—that led our forefathers to want a limited government with checks and balances. It is this reality that leads many on the right to want a strong military.
It is a denial of this biblical truth by those on the Left that brings us to where we are today, with rampant violence in the streets and the possibility a much larger war.