I feel the need for speed. Is it a bird, is it a plane … It’s a Bunster man.
We recently went to Suiderkruis Beach which appears when you enter the Mossel Bay area on route from George. It was so peaceful with the endless sand and the sound of the waves breaking. The Bunster had his bike with him and was having fun. The Garden Route sure is filled with beauty.
We are anticipating being back in Kyiv by the end of the winter in Europe. Until then we will try and explore much of this stunning part of South Africa.
The last few weeks have seen a new kind of evil: automated killer drones. Russia could still potentially cripple Ukraine – if they destroy the electricity and heating infrastructure, then how can Ukraine function?! The Ukrainians are knocking down over 80% of these killer drones, but from what I understand it is using up their precious defense capacity. Ukraine needs more and more help from the West. If Ukraine falls, which I just don’t believe will happen, then the world will fall – that is what I believe. I love the Ukrainian sense of humour. I read this online, “If Russians leave us with no electricity in nine months there will be more Ukrainians.” Yes, there are many painful challenges ahead, but Ukraine will survive and prosper. Russia, on the other hand, is doomed.
Ukraine is living through 911 everyday. This is terrorism, and the world is watching online like it is a horror movie. They are determined, but very stressed. I chat with friends regularly in Kyiv. Yes, people are worried, but they carry on.
Here is a question: if South Africa bombed Zimbabwe, then there would be a global outcry. But if SA destroyed Zimbabwe’s electricity infrastructure then would anyone do or say anything? Do we need to see dead bodies for there to be an outcry? It does seem less hectic but wait till people are freezing. I don’t believe this will happen in Ukraine, but the fact that Russia is trying to make this a reality is reason enough for some sort of response. Or a least, a bigger, more impactful response.
What Putin is also learning, to his cost, is that Ukraine has a loud voice in how this war ends — a war which may end up changing Russia more than Russia has changed Ukraine.
“So this is the thing about authoritarian regimes. They’re terrible at everything. They can’t feed their people. They can’t provide security for their people … they only have to be good at one thing to survive. The suppression of alternatives. If they can deny political alternatives, if they can force all opposition into exile or prison, they can survive no matter how incompetent, no matter how corrupt, no matter how terrible they are.”
The unfortunate reality is that Putin can’t be stopped without significant costs, but allowing him to normalize the use of weapons of mass destruction would start the inevitable clock to a direct and possibly catastrophic US-Russian conflict. It is a strategy that could require yet further investment of American blood and treasure today in requiring Putin to face consequences designed to prevent a full-scale war and potential nuclear escalation, but costs that are necessary to preserve international peace and security in the long term.
PrettyApt 