There is one problem with scribbling on the Interweb.

Once something is published, it’s out there in all its glory and can’t be radically corrected. Little bits like misspellings and missing words or letters can be corrected but the main thrust is there for all to see. I could pull a post [and have done in the past] but its ghost is still there on servers all around the planet, in caches, feed readers and the like.

Yesterday I banged off my little brainfart and it was only a while later I realised that what I had put up was not quite what was churning around in my head at the time. I should maybe clarify my thoughts somewhat?

There was a parallel between the Ukrainian crisis and the Cuban Missile crisis but that no longer applies. It’s all down to Red Lines. In the Cuban affair, a ship carrying missiles was heading towards Cuba and Kennedy set up a line of warships with the message that if the Russian ships crossed a certain point that they would be attacked. The ships reached that point but turned back. Conflict was avoided and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

The difference with the Ukrainian affair is that the Russians have already crossed the Red Line. The dogs in the street knew there was an invasion planned. Every denial from Putin confirmed this, The troops massed on the borders and the warning should have gone out – the Ukrainian border is the Red Line – cross that and there will be trouble. Now that the line is crossed, sending in foreign troops will have major consequences as it will give the Russians an excuse to retaliate against the country that supplied the troops – open warfare.

So the West is sitting on its collective hands. They are hitting the Russian banks, banning Russian flights, giving Putin a slap on the wrist from the Pope and worst of all, banning them from the Eurovision Song Contest. Far from being a song without words, it’s words without a song. Russia can carry on bombing Ukraine knowing that the West is too scared to go further. It’s like the family of a lad who is known for breaking into houses – they stop the kid’s pocket money and take away his car keys as if that is going to have any effect.

So my personal feelings are one of frustration and anger. The Russians are literally getting away with murder. They have committed an act of war and the world is just sitting by, and there is fuck all I can do about it.

My error yesterday was in the use of the word “unmoved”. What I was trying to say that there was no point in my making any statements regarding the war as anything I say will have no consequence. I doubt Putin reads this humble site? I doubt that a word of anger on my part is going to incite massed marches in the streets? In fact I very much doubt if the world really cares whether I am unmoved or not.

What would I like to see happen? What I would like is for the Russians to apologise, to offer to repair all the damage and then bugger off home. I think that is somewhat unlikely though. Failing that, the only response is to send in troops to aid the Ukrainians – exceptionally risky but the only way to stop Putin and his ambitions. If he gets away with this then what’s next? Estonia? Latvia? Lithuania? Belarus?

What the Ukrainians need is well trained manpower. Weapons and ammunition are all very well but the battle is being fought by reservists and untrained men. Mind you, it wouldn’t surprise me if troops are already being sent but in secret, to train and support the locals

Nothing would surprise me any more.