Jeffrey T. Kuhner, March 25, 2022I recently received an email from a loyal listener, whose name is David. He sent me a link to a New York Post story, detailing some of the atrocities being committed by Russian forces in Ukraine – including the raping of women and the killing of civilians and children. Echoing the CIA-inspired propaganda of globalist war hawks, such as Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, George Soros, FOX News (with the exception of Tucker Carlson), CNN and The New York Times, David accuses me of having no “heart” or “compassion” for suffering Ukrainians because I favor an America First, non-interventionist policy.
According to him, on the issue of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, I am on “the wrong side” of history. The implication is that I should be embracing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s demands for U.S.-led NATO military involvement. In short, David is suggesting I am betraying Ukraine (and freedom itself) in the face of Moscow’s war of aggression. Here was my response.
David: I don’t quite understand your point. I have been a leading champion of Ukrainian independence for 30 years, writing countless columns at The Washington Times warning that Russia – especially, Putin – would eventually invade and seek to conquer that Eastern European country. Both Kyiv and Washington ignored me.
I have now called for the United States and NATO to arm Ukraine to the teeth, not just with defensive weapons such as Javelin and Stinger missiles, but to send them dozens of Polish MiG fighter jets, missiles, and a massive supply of S-300 anti-aircraft systems the Ukrainians are begging for and that the Biden regime/NATO refuses to send them. In short, give Kyiv all the military means and capability to repel and defeat the Russian onslaught.
Yet, what I am not willing to do, is support deploying U.S. troops into Ukraine or establishing a no-fly zone. As I have said repeatedly, Ukraine is NOT a vital enough interest to risk or justify a world war – which means a nuclear war – with Russia. This is what shooting down Russian planes by U.S./NATO fighter jets means: a hot war with Moscow. Frankly, such talk is madness. Forget thousands dead; World War III would lead to tens of millions of deaths – including countless children.
Finally, I have personally covered several wars, including the Balkan wars of the 1990s. I have seen the horrors of war upfront. Children, women and civilians are always killed and slaughtered in wars. This is why I am staunchly anti-war – unless of course, in self-defense to protect one’s country and nation against foreign invasion. But, outside of that, war should be avoided at all costs.
So, please spare me the moral lecturing on dead children and raped women. The horrors and war crimes I witnessed in the former Yugoslavia, especially in Croatia and Bosnia, haunt me to this day – and I know will follow me until the day I die.
War is an evil and ugly thing. Yet, there are crazed war hawks in Washington who are itching for a larger NATO war with Russia. These people are not only insane, but dangerous. If they – or you – feel so strongly about fighting the Russian bear, then go pick up a gun and join Zelensky’s foreign legion. Or send your kids to fight and die. But no, the warmongers want to send other Americans and their children (like in Iraq and Afghanistan) to fight their imperial wars. It’s disgusting.
Ultimately, it’s up to Ukrainians to fight for and defend Ukraine – not America. We have enough problems here at home.
Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a columnist at WorldTribune.com and the host of “The Kuhner Report” weekdays 6-10 a.m. EST on WRKO AM-680 in Boston.
