Lessons from history

A political commentator on one of the major US television networks made the statement to the moderator we are two steps away from the Cuban Missile Crisis and three steps away from war with Putin’s Russia, a scary thought indeed; as we do not seem to have a Statesman the likes of John F. Kennedy, who confronted Krushchev and forced him to pull his missiles out of Cuba in 1962.

To retrace modern history, World War One was touched off when the Hungarians assassinated The Archduke of Sarajevo, known as “The Shot Heard Round the World.” Today’s powder keg in the Ukraine could be set off by one careless or frightened act in similar fashion.

In 1938, Hitler staged the Olympic Games in Germany to gain world recognition of The Third Reich. In 1939, while the British Prime Minister, Chamberlain, followed a policy of appeasement, Hitler invaded Poland, followed by Czechoslovakia, France and other nations using the justification of “Lebensraum” or additional living room or room to expand the German nation and economy.

It appears that Putin (former KGB operative – suspected of “Wetwork” assassinations) is replaying Hitler’s role by lulling the world with his wonderful Sochi games while he commences his attempts to rebuild the Soviet Empire.

It wasn’t until the British people elected Winston Churchill as Prime Minister that someone had the backbone (or cojones) to stand up to Hitler. Do Obama, Harper, Merkl and company have the intestinal fortitude to stand down this tyrant who would retrace the world map?

Switzerland and Canada, both of which have two official languages have made it work politically. Why can Putin not see the wisdom of a similar policy?

Let’s all pray that calmer/saner heads will prevail, because the possibility of armageddon exists with the nuclear stockpiles which the United States and the Russian Federation both still possess!

RON LEVAGOOD