Letter to the Editor: Ukraine and NATO

March 31, 2022 Editor

Awhile back, a writer wrote an unusual response to my letter regarding Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The writer suggests that I should not write about Putin’s barbaric attack on Ukraine in a ‘small newspaper’ because it’s something that everyone knows about and instead write about NATO. First, PlumasNews.com is our county’s newspaper of record, providing news and legal notices and is an important component of America’s news and information system.

Many readers know what Putin is doing but there is no guarantee what they know the whole story. In America (and Russia), some talk radio hosts, TV commentators, and improperly labeled ‘news’ stations lie or distort the truth resulting in harmful anti-American propaganda. Some right-wing commentators actually support Putin therefore so do many Americans. Many GOP Congress members and officials also support Putin.

My letter included that fact that the treasonous ex-president Trump exhorted Ukrainian President Zelensky by withholding congressionally mandated military aide in exchange for dirt on the Biden family. Similarly, this week Trump asked Putin for the same dirt. Also included was the fact that Trump wanted to pull America out of NATO.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) consists of 30 countries with the main requirement being that the country is a democracy. NATO’s most notable provision is that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all NATO countries. It is defensive pact. Generally speaking, NATO countries are our allies and friends. Most Americans fundamentally support NATO.

Countries ruled by dictators and/or plutocracy (ruled by the rich) generally will not invade a NATO country. Trump wanted to weaken or end NATO so that Putin would have no issues with his invasion. This is what Trump, the GOP, and the wealthy want for America – to become a dictatorship/plutocracy where the citizens are told what to do or else.

Remember Trump, Republican Congress members, and some citizen Republicans tried to turn the USA into a dictatorship on Jan 6^th. Nobody, except the ruling class, will have the freedoms or liberties Americans enjoy today. Do Americans really want to be like China, North Korea, or Russia?

Finally, I have no idea why the writer said President Biden is acting like President Carter. He probably heard some right-wing propagandist spew some nonsense about Biden and Carter. If anything, President Biden is acting similar to FDR who kept the US out of the Hitler’s war until America was attacked by Japan. I trust President Biden and the Democrats are doing the right thing regarding Putin, but most of us wish something more could be done to end that war.

I hope this letter answers the writer’s question regarding NATO. Maybe the writer could write a letter explaining his positions, and hopefully would be more than three sentences.