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Incredible Courage and Determination

Right now, Ukrainians are fighting like hell for their lives, their families, and their country. God bless those people and their president, who are showing incredible courage and determination.

I’m livid over the fact our nation, the United States, is NOT doing what it can or should to help Ukraine. I’m not saying U.S. troops should be engaged in this war, but an evil tyrant, Vladimir Putin, has been emboldened to invade Ukraine because he senses weakness and lack of resolve – worldwide – from those with leverage to stop him.

As for us, I’m concerned the sanctions President Biden has imposed on Russia for this invasion are woefully inadequate. He’s trying to target their banks, their rich elites, and sales of various technologies to Russia. Those are appropriate, to be sure, but it’s NOT ENOUGH!

You don’t stop a dragon by nipping at its heels. If we're not going to send weapons, then at the very least we ought to be looking at sanctions that target Russia’s energy exports – that’s their largest economic driver, by far. Every single day, the United States purchases more than $50 million in Russian oil. That’s over $1.5 billion EVERY MONTH we’re sending to Russia which, in part, is financing their brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Obviously, there would be global economic side effects to targeting Russian’s energy exports. But what’s the alternative?! Continue to send billions to Russia to finance a mad man’s invasion of an innocent nation? How many people will die? Which nations would be Russia’s next targets after Ukraine? What message does this lack of resolve send other potentially hostile nations? Like China concerning Taiwan, and Iran with their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

At some point you have to stand up and say, “This is not about money. It’s about doing the right thing.”

Simultaneously, it is critical for the United States to immediately roll back EVERYTHING Biden has done attacking our own energy production here at home. This includes the Keystone XL pipeline, which Biden revoked the permits for. It includes allowing for energy exploration on federal lands, which he revoked approval for. It includes opening up new oil & gas fields here, which he has tried to roadblock. It includes allowing federal agencies to subsidize fossil fuel endeavors, where appropriate, which he has prohibited. The list goes on.

It’s time to reverse course on these awful policies, which have only made the United States more reliant of countries like Russia for the energy we need.