16 June—Judging by the minimal, dilatory, reluctant, largely passive help the United States (U.S.), European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are actually giving Ukraine, you’d think the so-called and presumed (though not self-proclaimed) allies were not only afraid to do anything substantive that might rouse Vladimir Putrid’s ire and nuclear retaliation, but were also conniving and colluding with him under the table to give a crippled Ukraine to predatory Russia in the very near future.

Conniving and colluding with Putrid? I’d prefer to think otherwise. But consider that Ukraine’s pleas for up-to-date and effective ordnance and ground and air support get lots of lip service in response. But little else. And the latest billion in U.S. carefully chosen (i.e., limited) weapons and the quarter billion in sorely needed humanitarian assistance are effectively ineffective feel-good token chicken shit.

Yesterday, Joe Biden’s West Wing censors and spinners assured the great unwashed in a first-person written statement that Joe [the first person, of course] had spoken “with President Zelenskyy to discuss Russia’s brutal and ongoing war against Ukraine. I [the first person] reaffirmed my commitment that the United States will stand by Ukraine as it defends its democracy and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression.”

Sounds so noble, doesn’t it? Friends support friends, after all. But Jesus, save me! Stand by Ukraine, my ass! Stand by and watch Ukraine succumb to unprovoked Russian aggression because of strategically and purposefully inadequate military assistance from supposed friends is more like it.

So even if it’s not actually conniving and colluding, it’s just as good as . . .