Russian President Vladimir Putin
Looking at the photos from Bucha, the world should be stunned and outraged. Innocent civilians, hands tied behind their backs and shot in the head says everything we need to know about the madman we are dealing with: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
I would like to propose some unnuanced, layman’s solutions to the cauldron boiling in Ukraine. The two major components swirling at the surface involve some rusting Mikoyan-Gurevich aircraft (MiG-29s) and the perpetual, hand-wringing reluctance to drag a war criminal before a tribunal for crimes against humanity.
Unlike most Banana Republic dictators, this bad boy has a twitching finger on the launch buttons and deserves civilization’s “special” attention.
Apparently, “optics” are everything, and the U.S. doesn’t want to appear unfriendly (or unwoke) by flying a handful of old jets out of Ramstein Air Force Base and into Ukraine.
Poland doesn’t want to be the only country, with its head sticking above the foxhole, caught flying its dilapidated MiG-29s directly into a country being decimated by President Putin.
Why not disperse all 29 aircraft randomly, via lottery, among each NATO country?
From Lask Airbase, each member state would receive just ONE MiG-29, with a maintenance crew and a box of white flags. None of these aircraft will be allowed to land at any U.S. military base.
After reaching its new home, each plane would “simmer,” in a non-threatening manner, on the tarmac for a couple days, to establish residency.
Unarmed, the MiG-29s would, on the same day and hour, fly (or be towed) into Ukrainian airports and wheat fields. This would give the appearance that ALL NATO COUNTRIES ARE UNITED, and, most importantly, that the U.S.A. is not directly participating in aggressive or provocative behavior.
These clever, confusing, “...All war is deception...” tactics were applied by General Sun Tsu in war, in his life and as described in his second (kinder and gentler) best selling book, “The Art of Peace Through Appeasement and Compromise,” co-authored in 1939 by Neville Chamberlain.
A more capitalistic, some say “unthinkable,” option is to offer a huge reward ($100+ million) for the live capture of Mr. Putin. The reward, targeted to members of Mr. Putin’s inner circle who don’t want to participate in Nuremberg 2.0, would be reduced dramatically if any body parts were missing or there were signs of torture.
Take a long look at the Bucha videos and photos. Don’t you agree that the individual(s) responsible for bringing this serial killer to justice should also be nominated for the Nobel Prize by preventing World War 3? Offering $100 million “finder fee” (or reward) seems like a good investment against a nuclear winter and may prevent our little planet from glowing for the next 10,000 years.
Bin Laden and other terrorists have held coveted positions on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. Why isn’t Mr. Putin currently on this list?
Ukraine has already posted a $1 million prize to Russian pilots who defect. Why hasn’t Uncle Sam? (See www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a39432683/ukraine-defense-contractor-will-pay-russian-pilots-to-defect).
In years past, the U.S. military has managed to attract defectors with money. Examples include the 1975 Russian MIG-25 Foxbat flown into Hakodate Airport in Japan. (See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defection_of_Viktor_Belenko.)
During the Eisenhower administration, there was even a plan called Operation Moolah, offering $100,000 and freedom to any commie who could deliver a combat-ready enemy jet to our military. (See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moolah.)
For an extensive list of enemy pilots (with planes) who accepted the cash-on-delivery and a new life, Google “Cold War Pilot Defectors,” turn to
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cold_War_pilot_defections.
The issues bogging down everyone’s “courage” over the invasion of Ukraine are reminiscent of pre-World War II Germany. Winston Churchill repeatedly warned his fellow naive, reality-averse bureaucrats, that failure to recognize Hitler’s intentions, would be catastrophic for everyone. As the late Madeline Albright also observed, in nature (and human nature), weakness always attracts vultures.
When a white flag has no meaning, isn’t it time the experts (?) stop seeking diplomatic and so-called “crushing letter” solutions from inside the “group-think” box?
If that same flag has been tied behind the victims’ back and sealed with a bullet, it’s time that more primitive, instinctively recognized, universally respected and, unfortunately, necessary “solutions” be considered.
Dale Lowdermilk
Founder, notsafe.org
Santa Barbara
