The Dogs of War

Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP

Damn.

They've cried havoc and let slip the dogs of war. Again.  

It's a bitch.

It turns out that Vladimir Putin's bite is even worse than his bark. In the long tradition of national leaders, the top dogs who have the power to control other people's destiny, Putin has pulled the trigger.  He's used the might of the Russian military to achieve his political and personal goals. 

 

And other people, mostly young soldiers and innocent civilians, will suffer. 

 

This, of course is increasingly the case in modern warfare. The ascendancy of computerized technology, with its "smart" bombs, drones, cyber-warfare, economic sanctions, etc., has only increased the likelihood of widespread human misery -- and the wealth of those who reap obscene profits from creating endless wars.

 

I don't claim to be an expert on the Ukraine, but I do have skin in the game. As a young child I heard more Yiddish than English at family gatherings. My mother's parents, Ashkenazi Jews, immigrated from Kiev at the dawn of the 20th century.  Later, my eyes set on a possible degree in Soviet Studies, I took Russian. Then Woodstock and the counter-cultural, collective kensho swept me up -- and an advanced degree seemed irrelevant.

 

I'm grateful that others chose differently. 

 

Chris Hedges is one of those. Ten years my junior, Chris was only 13 years old when I stumbled forth with my B.A. to save the world in 1969.  His brilliant mind and courageous heart propelled him on a trajectory which took him through Harvard Divinity School before realizing his gift was writing, his ministry, journalism. 

 

Chris Hedges on the Streets --  CC Photo by Steve Rhodes

As a war correspondent for the New York Times, Hedges was literally in the trenches during the tragic siege of Sarajevo, winning the Pulitzer Prize for his efforts to expose the reality of war.  He then went on to serve as Middle East Bureau Chief for the Times before resigning when the top dogs there reprimanded him for coming out against the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.  Since then, as well as teaching at a New Jersey Prison, writing several books and numerous articles, he's been on the streets with activists across the nation for years. 

 

I trust this guy. 

 

Yesterday, my heart ached as I heard what was going on in Ukraine.  I turned to Chris Hedges to get his take on the situation. 

 

Here it is:

 

https://scheerpost.com/2022/02/24/hedges-the-chronicle-of-a-war-foretold/