2022-02-28 — Go Ukraine!

Finally got my donation in to Ukraine. The mobile version of the National Bank of Ukraine’s website had a way to pay with a credit card, so I was finally able to donate.

May it help.

There’s so much I wish I could do.

I’m not a fighter. I’m a lover. But injustice makes my blood boil, and I’ll fight tooth and nail for those who are being stepped on. I want to go fight for Ukraine. But I don’t want to kill Russian soldiers. I feel bad for the average Russian soldier. I don’t know, obviously, and so perhaps I’m wrong, but I’d be willing to bet that a good majority of average Russian soldiers don’t want to be there, don’t want to be part of the war, but they are terrified of their own country and what will happen to them if they refuse to fight.

I hope Zelensky offers all Russian soldiers who put down their arms immunity and safe harbor. I wonder what might happen if they were given that opportunity–to escape from their tyrannical leaders.

I hope I’m right. I hope many of them would choose to lay down their weapons and seek asylum in Ukraine or beyond. I don’t think this is Russia’s war. I think this is Putin’s war.

Putin needs to be stopped. Now. I don’t like violent language. My heart doesn’t like it, but Putin needs to be taken out. I’m afraid we’ve only seen the beginning of what is coming, and the head needs to be cut off the snake. I want (and mind you, this is not because I think it would be this wonderful thing. It wouldn’t, it would be awful and ugly… but an awful, ugly necessity, in my opinion). I want to see an international bounty placed on Putin. Millions of dollars–many millions. As I keep saying, war is too kind a word. He’s violently taking what he wants, killing people to get it. That’s called murder. He’s a mass murderer. He’s as bad as any terrorist, and it’s time for him to go.

Sorry… I don’t like this. I detest the violence and the loss of life, but what do you do? Non-violent approaches don’t work with people like Putin. Non violence is simply weakness to be stepped over or stepped on. Compassion, diplomacy, etc., that doesn’t work with those who seek for power and dominance with little, if any regard for others.

Please, if you haven’t already, and if you can spare a nickel or five, please donate to Ukraine. Help them in this effort. If our government won’t cut ties to Russian oil, then let’s stop driving as much as we possibly can. Let’s do whatever we can!

(sigh)

I’m worried I’m soon going to be seeing headlines of Ukraine surrendering. I hope to the universe they don’t.

Please world, take out Putin. Don’t make us fight young Russians who probably don’t want to be fighting in the first place. Take out Putin.

Part of me wishes I still had the police sniper rifle I used to own that I bought from a vet a decade plus ago. I think it was a Remington 700p. I don’t want to kill anyone, but I don’t want anyone to be killed by a tyrant. I’m a protector. That’s my nature. But if protecting the vulnerable means doing so with physical, lethal force against a tyrannical aggressor, with a heavy heart, I will fight.

This is all so ugly. I hate it. We are good people. The Russians are good people, the vast majority. I’d be willing to bet. The Ukranians, too. But the Putins of the world… they manage to gain power and then…

Yeah. Maybe I’m naive. Maybe I’m ignorant. Maybe the Russian people voted Putin in knowingly, knowing he’d do something like this. Maybe they wanted that. I… don’t believe that, though. I have almost no proof to back up my belief, but I believe in the basic decency of humankind. I’ve seen it over and over and over and over and over and over again.

(sigh)

In other news… I vacuumed out the Sentra this morning. I didn’t clean the seats or the carpets or anything–not yet. I headed off to fix cars. One of my nephews called not too long after I left, asking if I was still on the hill, as his struck wouldn’t start. I wasn’t, obviously, but the Sentra was right there, and all my vehicles are registered and insured, and I’d just left the fob on the stairs, so I didn’t even have to tell him to go up to my room to get the fob. It was just right there.

It’s a blessing to have extra cars to lend people when they have unexpected issues. I’ve sort of become the de-facto rent-a-car on the hill (though I’m not charging, of course).

Did logistics and parts returns and purchasing at the Bentonville AutoZone. Did a battery job in Bella Vista, a brake inspection and coolant leak diagnosis in Bentonville, a starter replacement in Springdale, a battery replacement in Fayetteville, and a no start (busted timing) diagnosis in Rogers. 5 cars. 5 cities. 6 1/2 ish billable hours. Pretty decent day.

After finishing the last car, getting back to the Hill about 8, I headed over to my nephew’s place, diagnosed his truck and fixed it. Then we chatted for probably 20-30 minutes about stuff that’s going in our lives. We’re both in pretty rocky, crazy times–just like a lot of the world right now.

I’ve been watching news coverage of the Ukraine situation for the last… while. It’s suddenly after 1:30 a.m. Feels like Saturday for some reason, but it’s just barely the ending of Monday.

Maybe it’s that I’m not up pounding away at finance and tax stuff? 🙃

All right, folks. My love to you all. May evil be beaten. May peace rain. May we all lift one another.

Lift the World.

~ stephen