Change? For others? Who Me?

The following represents my opinion alone and not the opinion of any employer (past or present)

What next?

Each person who reads this does so thru their own lens of experience focused with varied information. My experiences include working in Poland when it was under the influence of the USSR and serving as a combat soldier in Afghanistan. My reason to mention these – of several jobs – is to make clear that I have willingly stepped over the boundary of risking my life for a cause larger than myself - maybe, I have the tiniest bit of street cred.

Now, like it or not, I – and everyone who reads this – is being forced to make this choice - What will I do for democracy? My country has stated that it will not put?boots on the ground?inside Ukraine. Instead, it is sanctioning the actions of President Putin by imposing economic hardships. Will this matter?

Of course, we all have opinions.

This morning I was listening to the BBC while walking and the program reviewed the economics of energy and the current dependency of many countries on energy commodities from Russia. Two facts stuck with me and a third came from my wife over breakfast:?

·??????The Reagan Administration has opposed the pipeline project -?https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/30/business/a-soviet-project-tempts-europe.html;

·??????Germany is totally controlled by Russia -?https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-scolded-germany-for-buying-gas-from-russia-heres-what-we-know; and?

·??????President?Jimmy Carter?became focused on improving America’s energy independence and reducing its environmental impact through greater use of?renewable energy -?https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/executive-energy-efforts/.

The reason to pick the three facts/leaders above is not because I think they are the best amongst us – rather, they represent past and recent knowledge related to the importance of energy and the problems that ensue when one becomes dependent on “deals with the devil”.

Of course I am shortening a story that begins before my own lifetime and I am cherry-picking evidence to support an argument. What is my argument??

Pretty simple --- if we (Americans and NATO nations) are genuinely upset with being unable to force Putin back into Russia (and for that matter keep China out of Taiwan) are we willing to:?

1)????Die by nuclear conflict

2)????immediately send ourselves and/or our children into a symmetric war (symmetric war = the other sides weapons are as deadly as your own) whilst hoping that The War remains “conventional”

3)????or at least really tighten our belts, ship energy to Europe, and?pay more at the pump?for the foreseeable future??

Because, if we are not, as Americans (and NATO), really willing to do at least # 3, than we are simply making noise and engaging in magical thinking – that is, somehow believing that?sanctions a week, a month, whatever earlier or in some different flavor were going to produce a different outcome than what we have now.?

This morning I donated monies to support the delivery of medical supplies. It hardly feels sufficient. How much further am I willing to go – or can we meaningfully change our behavior? Could this Tokyo Taxi be your ride??

For me, I am ready to?pay more at the pump?– NOW.?

Beyond that, if helping Europe shut off their need for Russian energy and thereby directly changing Putin’s economic calculus is not sufficient, I have read enough about the effectiveness of appeasing autocrats and dictators to believe that we will have to defend democracy forcefully, or risk losing it.

In my opinion, not one of us should hope for War, it would be much worse than any belt tightening we can do now. So, think about how much YOU are willing to do and show others by committing to actions that change Putin’s math – Starting Today!