BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 36 MAR. 11-17, 2022 BTR
BY TONY SALIMBENE
We know about the St. Patrick’s
Day Parade on the March
13. Our regular third Sunday
post meeting is scheduled for
March 20 at American Turners
NY.There will be James
Hooks Memorial Golf Outing
on March 26 at Turtle Cove, at
11 a.m. A BBQ to follow will take
place at Bronxonia YC. There
will be extra goodies, only $50
bucks and kids are free.Some
special merchants! Cousins
Pizza on East Tremont Avenue
being especially kind to a WW2
marine. I got great service at
Metro Optics, owner Mike is a
Korony Post member and ‘Nam
vet. The Throggs Neck Post Offi
ce fl ag looks great along with
their P.O.W. fl ag. Let’s patronize
vet-friendly local businesses
and thank them!We stand in solidarity
against the invasion of
Ukraine. It’s not a “crisis” news
people, it’s war, an attack on civilians
and bombing nuclear
power plants by, from whom I
see, a madman. Pray for peace.
Until Next Time: “I don’t know
which weapons will be used in
WW3 but there certainly won’t be
a WW4.” -Albert Einstein
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
Many politicians and pundits
are expressing “shock”
at Putin’s brutal invasion of
Ukraine. Where have they
been?
In many diverse areas, the
Biden administration and its
devoted acolytes in the media
appear unprepared and
unknowledgeable. Have they
never cracked open a history
book? Have they failed to follow
any news reports other
than those that kowtow to leftist
orthodoxy? In far too many
topics, current elected offi cials
display a disturbing reluctance
to go beyond ideas with
no more sophistication other
than what could be displayed
on a bumper sticker.
The current crisis in
Ukraine has been years in the
making since Obama did little
in the aftermath of the Crimea
invasion, and fairly well advertised
by the Kremlin. The
Trump era delayed its implementation.
Putin has openly lusted after
the restoration of the Soviet
Union. Despite the 20th
century’s horrendous events,
including two global wars,
concentration camp genocide,
and the intentional murder of
about 75 million people in the
USSR and communist China,
he has described the disintegration
of the Soviet Empire as
“the greatest geopolitical catastrophe
of the century.”
He has ambitiously developed
the means to rectify what
he describes as that “catastrophe.”
Despite his nation’s
weak economy, which has a
gross domestic product of $1.4
trillion from a population of
144.1 million (compare that to
the state of Texas which has a
GDP of $1.9 trillion generated
by a population of only 29 million)
he spends 4% of Russia’s
GDP on his armed forces, a
larger percentage than that of
the U.S. Further, he has developed
the planet’s most powerful
nuclear arsenal, both in the
type used as a strategic threat
(ICBMs, etc.) and as battlefi eld
weapons (which he currently
uses to discourage NATO from
assisting Ukraine.)
A Brookings study notes:
“Moscow’s nonstrategic nuclear
weapons are… worrisome.
To begin with, there is
Russia’s violation of the 1987
Intermediate-Range Nuclear
Forces (INF) Treaty by testing
a ground-launched cruise
missile to intermediate range.
While such a missile likely
will not pose a direct threat
to the United States, it constitutes
a treaty violation and
would threaten U.S. allies, as
well as other countries, in Europe
and Asia…The outside
world has less visibility regarding
Russia’s nonstrategic
arsenal than Russia’s strategic
forces. It appears, however,
that the military has developed
a range of nonstrategic
nuclear capabilities, including
cruise missiles, short-range
ballistic missiles and aircraft.
By contrast, the United States
has steadily reduced the number
and types of weapons in its
nonstrategic nuclear arsenal.”
Against Putin’s robust
and muscular position, Democratic
presidents have used
half-hearted sanctions, and
have taken steps that actually
fi nance Putin’s economy.
Eliminating U.S. energy
independence, as Biden
did instantly upon taking offi
ce, dramatically increased
the Kremlin’s ability to fi -
nance military adventures
and left our allies vulnerable
to Moscow’s pressure.
In 2014, Barack Obama responded
to Russia’s invasion
of Crimea with sanctions. Putin
laughed them off. Now, as
the rest of Ukraine is gobbled
up, Biden responds the same
way: with sanctions. Those
sanctions aren’t even all that
tough, despite the president’s
insistence that they are.
Most importantly, he
failed to take the one action
which would have devastated
Moscow’s military spending,
and at the same time restored
the ability of our allies to
stand tough against Russia:
return American energy independence.
It is not a coincidence
that Russia did not attack
Ukraine again in the intervening
years between Obama
and Biden, and that China
did not re-attack the Philippine
exclusive economic
zone as it did during Obama’s
reign. The military spending
and energy independence
that marked those intervening
years was an effective deterrent.
Toughness and selfsuffi
ciency by free nations
does not cause wars; it discourages
the dictators that
start them.
It is a historical lesson
that, apparently, the Biden
administration and its supporters
have never learned.
CIVIC CENTER
Community Action
Civic Association
BY AL D’ANGELO
America take a knee!
Take a knee to pray for the
brave men and women of the
Ukraine who have been fi ghting
against all odds — the Russian
incursion into their country.
The second most powerful
army in the world has come up
against a defi ant Ukrainian
people, who are risking their
lives to keep from being dominated
by Russia. It is a battle
they cannot win, but they are
willing to give their lives for
their love of country and freedom.
The weakness of our president,
who when asked what
our response would be if there
was a Russian invasion answered,
“…it depends on what
it does. It’s one thing if it’s a
minor incursion and then we
end up having a fi ght about
what to do and not do.”He later
retracted his statement amid
worldwide criticism. Russia
saw this as a weakness in
the world’s resolve. We should
have done more. When our intelligence
agency told us of the
threat, we should have been
arming the Ukrainians; told
Russia in no uncertain terms
that we would supply oil to all
our allies who are now buying
oil from Russia.As soon as the
Russians crossed into a sovereign
nation, we should have
stopped all trade with the Soviet
Union. Ukrainians are
dying and our political leaders
are discussing whether we
should increase our oil production
so as not to be dependent
on Russian oil (670,000
barrels a day at more than
$100 a barrel). By purchasing
their oil we are contributing
to their war effort.Rather
than admit former President
Trump was right about energy
independence, we are letting
people suffer and die. Rather
than admit the environment
would be better served if we
drilled and processed our own
oil — something we do cleaner
and more effi ciently than Russia
— we are aiding in the suffering
of the Ukraine people.
America needs to be all-in in
combating this Russian aggression,
halfway measures
send a mixed message.Someone
please explain to me how
it is benefi cial to America to
speak to Iran about our purchasing
oil from them, a country
that has vowed “death to
America,” rather than producing
our own? Has our political
system become so polarized
that we would rather
reach out to our enemies than
admit a previous administration
was right? Why are we
playing politics while people
are dying? Since when is it OK
to put party loyalty before our
country? Take a knee America
and pray for the Ukrainian
people and pray that our
leaders make the right decisions
for the country, not their
party.
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park Civic
Association
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address to the nation,
following the initiative of the country’s lower house of parliament and
security council to recognise two Russian-backed breakaway regions in
eastern Ukraine as independent entities, in Moscow, Russia, in this picture
released February 21, 2022. Photo by Sputnik/Alexey Nikolsky/Kremlin via
REUTERS
CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253
BJC to host ‘party of the year’
The Bronx Jewish Center, located at 1969 Haight Ave., is inviting the entire Bronx and
Westchester County to the party of the year! Join us on Thursday, March 17 at 6 p.m. for live
music, festive-catered meals, cookies galore, hamantashen and children’s entertainment.
What more can you ask for? Come in costume and win a prize.
Special guest appearance by famous ventriloquist Jonathan Geffner. For more info and to
RSVP, please visit www.bronxjewishcenter.org or call 718 812-1701.
/www.bronxjewishcenter.org
/www.bronxjewishcenter.org