So U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who was a contender for Speaker of the House, says he wants more details on how Ukraine will use U.S. aid before sending any more to the world’s most embattled democracy.
Let us spell out some “details” for Jordan. But first, the big picture to which Jordan seems oblivious.
Ukrainians have used U.S. military aid to mobilize the most heroic and breathtaking resistance to tyranny on the European continent since World War II. Every day since the February 2022 invasion, they have had to fend off Russian missile strikes aimed at hospitals, schools, churches and other civilian targets.
Perhaps this does not bother Jordan, but Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his intention to commit genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Much as Jordan and other Freedom Caucus fanatics might hate globalization, the global economy is deeply interconnected, and Ukraine plays a vital role in combating world hunger and maintaining the stability of global food prices.
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If Jordan thinks of himself as a pragmatist, how pragmatic will it be when Putin’s blockade of Ukraine’s ports leads to mass starvation in Ethiopia, Yemen, Egypt, Somalia, and other countries that are desperately dependent on Ukraine’s exports? Who will absorb the millions of hungry refugees that will begin flooding the shores of Europe and the United States?
Putin and his propagandists have threatened to destroy Ukraine as an independent country, even if it means killing half the population: 20 million people. Not a small detail, but three times the death toll of the Holocaust. The Russians have already reduced entire cities to rubble and indiscriminately slaughtered men, women and children.
If Jordan wants to verify the effectiveness of Ukraine’s use of U.S. weaponry and humanitarian aid, he should read the reports from more than 160 U.S. government officials. Or he should visit Ukraine and tour the cities that have been liberated by Ukraine’s army, or the massacre sites like Bucha and Irpin where Russian war criminals showed their true character.
Ukraine has nothing left to prove. Without American boots on the ground, Ukraine’s eventual victory could go down in history as the wisest, most efficient investment of military dollars the United States has ever made.
Alexander Kuzma, chief development officer, Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation
Abbott’s not pulling a stunt
I am at a loss. Just cannot believe how people can even fathom that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pulling a political stunt by sending asylum seekers to sanctuary cities.
How in God’s name is anyone expecting Texas to deal with the problem alone? Sanctuary cities are complaining about overflow. How can anyone expect all these people to stay put and be cared for in Texas alone? Let’s be fair and rethink what is happening and not just repeat political hacks.
Barbara Czarnecki, Portage Park
Stop glorifying graffiti artists
The April 23 Sunday edition of the Chicago Sun-Times devoted four full-color pages to the so-called “graffiti art” of someone known as ”Joos.” The Oct. 8 Sunday edition features two full color pages on the “graffiti art” of one self-identified as ”Zwon.” Apparently, the reporter for both of these articles holds these two gentlemen in high esteem. Nevertheless, one may be constrained to ask: Should a major metropolitan newspaper enthusiastically publicize individuals who deface and vandalize public and private property? Have our societal values really deteriorated to this extent?
Samuel C. Small, Roseland
