The End of an Era

President Biden has now laid out in some detail, what the consequences will be if Vladimir Putin decides to invade Ukraine. He has done so on multiple occasions. And now… he believes President Putin has made a CHOICE.

Vladimir Putin has decided to bring about an end to the Post-Cold War Era and disregard all the progress we have made. He has concluded that the ‘Cold’ aspect of the Cold War was insufficient. As he sees it, there remain some issues that cannot be resolved without force. In his eyes… he sees no choice but to act unilaterally.

So let us bid farewell, to the diplomatic understanding we’ve established between our two nations, over the course of these last 30 years. To the interdependence we’ve created and the scientific advancements we’ve realized, as well as the shared economic prosperity that comes from a PEACEFUL competition between two technologically advanced nations.

As President Biden said… this is the path Vladimir Putin has CHOSEN to pursue.

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https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/partners_us_russian_cooperation_in_human_spaceflight.pdf

Our choices have consequences, every one of us. Our LEADERS are no exception. Whether elected by the VOTE of the people or NOT… they too, can be removed from their positions. Either by TIME or by the people… eventually, that time comes for us ALL.

A war of CHOICE only hastens the arrival of that day. 

The consequences of their actions are felt by the people they leave behind after their descent. They linger, long after the conflict has ended, and they are never forgotten… no matter how much TIME has passed.

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https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/canada-urged-to-arrest-and-prosecute-george-w-bush/

We know what becomes of Leaders who support a war of CHOICE… a war started based on LIES. A Master Class on deception was presented to the American People in the lead up to the War in Iraq, and for a time it worked. We believed our President when he said there was a threat.

But The People of the United States of America soundly REJECTED the idea of supporting a war of CHOICE just two election cycles later. Senator Hillary Clinton voted FOR the invasion… Senator Obama did NOT.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2008/01/obama-beats-hillary-over-head-with-iraq-008248

The People reaffirmed that position in 2016.

Twenty years later we can see where they LIED, and we can state with CONVICTION— the American People will not support a war of CHOICE… and we will not support those who do.

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Let our story STAND as a cautionary tale for those who would CHOOSE war over diplomacy. Did the United States achieve any of our initial objectives? Have we secured more LAND or more RESOURCES? On the contrary. Our War on Terror has decidedly produced the opposite effect… for those who started the war, and for The People who continue to PAY for it.

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Our standing on the World Stage… tarnished. Our authority on issues of World Peace and National Security… diminished. Because we were blinded by patriotism and a manipulated sense of duty, we forgot the reason we were already at war. We were supposed to be fighting a group of ideologically radicalized individuals who attacked us without provocation.

For their own self-interest. For their own warped sense of reality.

Our Leaders ignored that lesson and chose to engage in a war of vengeance, a war of convenience… a war of CHOICE. And now, twenty years later… those SCARS are forever part of the fabric that makes up our society. Decisions made by FORMER Leaders that will continue to shape our future… long after their TIME has come and gone.

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… 

War, whether justified or not, brings with it unintended consequences. The vulgarity and the brutality on full display, will ironically highlight the HUMANITY of those involved in the conflict. In the wake of Blitzkrieg or Shock-and-Awe lies devastation. Lives shattered and infrastructure destroyed.

What comes AFTER those fires are extinguished will shine brightly, contrasted against the haze sparked by the aggressors. Schools leveled; children left hungry. Diaspora… overwhelming loss and need. Even if those images are restricted, in time the World will learn of those actions. In time… everyone will be able to SEE.

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http://thememoryhole2.org/blog/the-military-coffin-photos-1

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Those images can touch the souls of every person… regardless of race, color, or creed. They can strengthen the resolve of those who stand opposed to the aggressors, and they can inspire CHANGE on a global scale.

For out of the ashes will grow HOPE. Out of necessity… to ensure it can never happen again.

After the conclusion of WWII, African Americans who served abroad as Free Men, came home to a Jim Crow segregated South. Twenty years later, those who fought for Liberty abroad, joined in the fight for the same thing HERE… and they secured their Right to Vote.

Women, who had stepped up to fill the void in our workforce as our G.I.’s went off to war, felt slighted when they were sent ‘back to the kitchen’ as our soldiers came home. But Liberty, once seen cannot be forgotten. Liberation was the cause they took up in the wake of aggression… a fight, that continues to this day.

Let there be NO DOUBT. Vladimir Putin’s war of CHOICE will produce the same. It will be the catalyst of change, both at HOME and ABROAD… and our WORLD will never be the same.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-04/russia-captures-no-2-rank-among-foreign-oil-suppliers-to-u-s

All that stands between us and the ash-heap of history… is our WORD. Our BOND. The principals for which we continue to STAND. Where is it written that we should COWER in the face of aggression, for FEAR of what may come?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_Ukraine

Every word I’ve ever seen written on the subject, demands that we STAND STRONG and do everything within our power to avoid war… whatever the COST might be. Our ACTIONS in this moment will determine the future of the Post-War Era… so too, will our INACTION.

We cannot control the actions of others; we can only control the actions of ourselves. And one day… we will be judged based on those actions.

A war of CHOICE only hastens the arrival of that day.

-JC

Author: jackcharbonneau

Husband, father, housewife, musician, theoretical astrophysicist, (FMR) Presidential Candidate in 2020, and all-around human guy.

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