The war in Ukraine continues to escalate, and the military-industrial complex PR machine is working overtime to win favor in the halls of Congress. As the body count keeps rising, so does the pressure on President Biden to increase U.S. involvement militarily in the war.

The calls for a No-Fly Zone are growing louder, and the reality is that most people have no idea what a No-Fly Zone is or how it works, so I’m going to talk about that a bit today.

In principle, a No-Fly Zone sounds like a great idea to keep the war on the ground and make it more difficult for Russia to bombard civilian targets without interference. In this case, the way it would work is that the U.S. and our allies would announce the closure of Ukrainian airspace and warn the entire world that any plane entering their airspace will be shot down.

But here’s the problem with a No-Fly Zone: It has to be enforced. That means if a Russian jet were to enter Ukrainian airspace, it would have to be shot down by either the U.S. or one of our NATO or E.U. allies. The moment that happens will be the beginning of World War 3.  No second chances, no turning back. 

So, the next time you hear a Republican member of Congress go on TV and call for a No-Fly Zone, know that what they are actually calling for is something that could change the trajectory of the world as we know it, and not for the better.

I understand that President Zelenskyy is begging and furious with us that we have not agreed to a No-Fly Zone, and he should be – I would be, too, if I was him. But the reality is, as I have said many times before: War is ugly, it’s messy, and no one really wins in the end.

Zelenskyy is trying to protect his country, but we’re trying to protect the whole world.

So, if a No-Fly Zone is what we can't do, then what can we do? Well, for one thing, we can increase the aid we are giving to Ukraine, including lethal military tech and hardware they can use to defend themselves.

Ironically enough, the very same Republican members of Congress that are calling for a No-Fly Zone are the ones slowing down U.S. aid to Ukraine. These guys are – let's face it – jackaloons. Their only purpose in life is to obstruct any progress sought by Democratic Party, and to create sound bites for themselves.

President Biden is doing the best he can in a very difficult situation, and in this veteran's eyes, he is making all the right calls, and the rest of the world is taking notice. American leadership is back, and now is the time to use our diplomatic superiority and increase pressure on our allies to band together and cooperate during this difficult time.

Part of that cooperation will mean dealing with the reality that fuel costs are really, really high right now, and it’s starting to hurt ordinary folks in the U.S. and our allied countries around the world alike. There's a reason we have fuel reserves, and it’s for moments exactly like this. The President has called for a release of some of those reserves, so we should start seeing prices go down a bit, soon.

Additionally, it's time for Saudi Arabia to increase their output of fuel they pour into the market.  Remember, during the height of the COVID pandemic, they cut back their exports, so they have a lot in reserve, and they also have the capacity to increase their production to make up the difference for those countries that had previously been dependent on Russian oil.

It’s important to remember that while we may be hurting a bit, Russia is being absolutely crushed under the weight of our sanctions. They are feeling it on every possible front, and this is not sustainable for them. The Russian people will – and must – turn against Putin; once they do, he will be the one to end this war, in a much weaker position than he has ever been before.

I will say this, though: The assassination tweet by Senator Lindsey Graham was one of the most breathtakingly irresponsible things I have ever seen a sitting United States Senator do – second only to Senators Marco Rubio and Steve Daines posting screenshots of their Zoom meeting with President Zelenskyy for Putin and his goons to see.

What they did, of course, is exactly what Zelenskyy begged them NOT to do – his life is in danger, he’s the number one target for Putin’s murder squads, and these two jackaloons may very well have helped the Russians find him. So, I hope they’re happy with themselves. I hope the likes and retweets were worth it.

This war is really highlighting the differences between Republicans and Democrats. I think I know who makes the world safer when we are in charge. What do you think?

Sappers clear the way, Airborne all the way!

--Richard