As a proud card-carrying “child of the Sixties”, it seems unnatural to respect anything or anyone. Worse, even if you do, it still seems unnatural to show it.

However, I cannot hide my respect for the people of Ukraine, who have fought so bravely and have suffered so much at the hands of Russia. I respect the Ukrainians greatly and salute them! In the Army, the command to salute is “Present, Arms.”

Of course, politicians will distort anything for an advantage. Currently, Republicans lambast the Democratic leadership and may even believe that saving Ukraine is not worth the money. There is no question that the expense of guns decreases funds available for butter or social welfare programs like Social Security or Medicare. That is . . . until Modern Monetary Theory made deficits irrelevant . . . for now.

The Faustian bargain is that the Russian invasion of Ukraine provides us with the unexpected opportunity to minimize the power and influence of Russia without losing a single American life. Politics aside, that’s a good deal!

Thankfully, even a dire situation has a humorous aspect. Immediately after the invasion, the Ukrainian president restricted men from leaving the country, while allowing women to escape. Can you imagine how many years American lawyers would keep that tied up in our court system?