Russia

Yes, I'm worried about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, too.  It's disturbing.  Not just for the deaths, destruction, and displacement of those in Ukraine, but for the wider world.  Is there nothing we can do, in the face of Poutine (which, you will recall, is the joual word for "mess") grabbing whatever he wants, whenever he wants?  Is "might makes right" real, and there's nothing we can do about it?

I worry about and support those in Ukraine, and it's great that their president, who everybody had basically written off as an actor beyond his depth, has risen to the occasion and is showing definite signs of greatness.  As opposed to the mess next door.  But I'm also worried about Russia.  Russia just can't seem to catch a break.  Russians have had centuries of being decent, solid, generous people, and then they get communism, and Stalin, and now Putin, all seemingly determined to lie to their people, warp the national character, and damage Russia's standing in the world.  Whichever way this goes, Russia is now damaged for decades to come.  Their economy is going to be a mess.  Nobody is going to want to have anything to do with Russia for a long time.  (Except China, and China is definitely going to craft every deal with Russia to their own advantage, and Russia is just going to have to take it because nobody else is going to deal with them.)  (Well, yes, Russia is going to be able to do deals with carpetbaggers who are going to rush in to do deals with Russia, just like the American South after the "War Between the States."  And with just as much negative effect.)  By and large, the Russian people don't deserve this.  They are being lied to, kept in the dark as much as possible, their sons and husbands are being conscripted, lied to, and end up ill-prepared in an invasion about which they are only getting lies as well.

(OK, today there's a posting doing the rounds of some Russian Instagrammer who is whining about Instagram being shut down in Russia, and she's not concerned about the war, or invasion, or the deaths in Ukraine, and she's just concerned about not being able to post pictures of her dinners at restaurants, and I'm not concerned about her, at all.)