Flip Wilson did a riff in which an irate woman standing in front of the baggage claim at LAX fumes, "If you could fly this plane 3,000 miles across the country, in the fog and sleet and rain, and find Los Angeles, then you can find my bag!"
We take for granted that people who are competent enough to do such amazing things as being able to fly a plane at 35,000 feet or to shoot a missile at a plane flying 35,000 feet--and hit it--would be competent enough to not shoot down a large, lumbering passenger plane by mistake.
In 1988, the United States Ship Vincennes, a missile firing ship, shot down an Iranian passenger jet with almost 300 people on board. All were lost.
This was not the first or the last time a passenger plane has been blown out of the sky by a warrior.
But in the case of the United States, we quickly admitted our error and paid millions in reparation.
Mr. Putin cannot admit his responsibility for the killing of those Dutch and Malaysian passengers because of his own insecurities, his own smallness of mind. There is such a long tradition of lying in Russia, it would be antithetical for a Russian leader to actually be honest: Yes, we supplied the weapons and the people to fire that missile and they were not well enough trained to trust with weapons of such power. We are sorry for this, will pay reparations. As for reconsidering our policy, well, that is another matter. We will think about how this might affect our behavior in Eastern Ukraine, but however unfortunate this mistake is, our strategic interests have not changed, our commitment to Russian speaking peoples has not changed. Or words to that effect.
But you cannot make people be better than they are.
Mr. Putin is a small man leading a big nation. He is clearly not a big enough man for the job.
Nothing we can do will change that.
So Dutch babies fall out of the sky and lives are wasted.
Such is life.
P.S.
In response to Ms. Maud's observation (see Comments): The Phantom has been able to interrogate the Web
P.S.
In response to Ms. Maud's observation (see Comments): The Phantom has been able to interrogate the Web
Phantom,
ReplyDeleteYes, honest and forthright in a leader doesn't seem like it would be asking to much, yet so few of them manage to be either of those things. And Putin, who looks more like a lizard with each passing year, has probably not had an honest and forthright moment in the last 40 years....
Maud
Ms. Maud,
ReplyDeleteI am guessing you have a sunburn.
Lizardly Mr. Putin is lucky he does not read this blog.
Phantom
Ms. Maud,
ReplyDeletePlease refer back to the posting, to which I've now added an addendum, inspired by your observation.
Phantom
Phantom,
ReplyDeleteLovely posting, the likeness is remarkable- like brothers, perhaps they were separated at birth...
Maud