Editorial -- NATO Calls for Perpetual Warfare in Ukraine

On Friday, emboldened by Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive that gained them 1,000 to 2,000 square miles of territory that had been captured by the Russians, the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, called for perpetual warfare there Friday. Speaking to BBC Radio, his exact words were, “This is not the beginning of the end of the war, we have to be prepared for the long haul.” He called for flooding Ukraine with more military aid for the foreseeable future.

The problem is that nowhere does Mr. Stoltenberg offer any kind of attempt or plan to bring about an end to the conflict. The Christian Just War Theory allows for self-defense, or even sending military aid in self-defense. But if the object is perpetual warfare, then it doesn’t matter if the other side is in the wrong.

Either side could stop this war today if they wanted to. Russia could proclaim that the objectives of its “Special Military Operation” have been accomplished and that it will go home. The US and NATO could say that although Russia’s “Special Military Operation” violates every tenet of International Law, Ukraine does not meet their standards for ascension (they are one of the most corrupt nations in Europe) and their human rights record is more similar to Hungary of the Philippines. 

But neither side will budge. The US and NATO need Russia as a boogeyman to justify NATO’s existence, justify continuing to feed the gravy train known as the Military Industrial Complex, and take everyone’s focus off the fact that manmade climate change is a threat to us all. Russia needs the threat of US and NATO aggression to keep its citizens in line. 

Meanwhile, inflation continues to go through the roof, mortgage rates are now at a 14 year high, unemployment is starting to creep up, and there is the underlying fear that this could, at some point, turn into a nuclear conflict. But the US cares more about carrying out Joe Biden’s personal vendetta against Putin than they do about ending the war against Rural America. The latest step was revealed Thursday by the Financial Times, which reported that the US and EU are claiming veto power over the ability of Turkish banks to do business with Russia. While Turkey is a NATO member, they have close relations with both Russia and Ukraine and have refused to participate in the gravy train that puts all of us at risk. When the right-wing autocratic leader of Turkey shows more sanity on this issue than Joe Biden does, the President needs to think long and hard about his assumptions about the conflict.

McCaskill-Thune Bill Jumpstarts Post-Election Work Period with Overwhelming Support in U.S. House

The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved a plan by U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and John Thune, which would protect Missouri consumers and American jobs from a European Union tax on the U.S. airline industry. The legislation now heads to President Obama’s desk.  

“All that’s left to prevent the European Union from unfairly taxing American citizens is the President’s signature, and I urge him to support this commonsense measure,” McCaskill said. “European governments taxing air travel in the United States has never made a bit of sense, and it’s refreshing to be able to work across the aisle to protect American consumers from this kind of nonsense.”

With McCaskill and Thune’s legislation advancing in Congress, the European Union announced yesterday that it will delay the E.U. Emissions Trading System (E.U. ETS) for one year to allow time for an international agreement.

Responding to the announcement McCaskill said, “It's good that the E.U. has seen the writing on the wall, but it’s important for the United States to act and show European governments that we oppose this misguided proposal.”

ETS is an emissions trading program that levies a tax on U.S. airline carriers’ flights into and out of E.U. countries. It is related to European countries’ interest in reaching their own internal goals for carbon emissions. The E.U. program applies a “cap-and-trade” carbon tax system to all flights originating or landing in Europe—taxing even those emissions that occur over the United States, international waters and elsewhere outside Europe. Remarkably, these taxes are not set aside for a specific purpose, and could be used as part of the general fund of any European Union government for virtually any purpose.  

McCaskill, along with Thune (R-S.D.), led the effort to protect U.S. airlines from being forced to participate in the emissions trading program established by the E.U.  The McCaskill-Thune legislation has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as well as unions representing airline employees.