Defending Ukraine is a worthwhile task

In his December 2019 letter Carl Peterson essentially asked why no one ever takes the trouble to explain why Ukraine is important to the U.S. I felt it was a reasonable and important question to ask so, on 12/7/2019, I responded.

Unfortunately Peterson’s most recent (Wednesday Dec. 28th, 2022) letter makes it clear he continues to willfully ignore the cogent facts I presented. While I don’t have room to reprise the geopolitical reasons why Ukraine is important to the U.S. and the world I must respond to Peterson’s most recent baseless comments. Peterson describes Ukraine as a backward country to which the U.S. owes nothing because it has no treaty obligations. Really? Ukraine’s literacy rate exceeds 99.00% and it’s among the largest and most talented international student markets in Europe. Contrast this with the 50% of US adults that can’t read a book written at the eighth grade level. Furthermore Ukraine gave up i’s nuclear weapons in 1994 after the U.S. agreed to the security assurances contained in the Budapest Memorandum which established a moral obligation on the U.S to protect Ukraine.

Peterson also states that the current war is being wholly paid for by the U.S. He’s almost correct in this regard from a financial standpoint but there are at least 39 other countries doing their part in whatever way they can to circumvent Russia’s invasion. And when you consider the death and devastation being inflicted upon Ukraine I’d say it’s literally paying the greatest price imaginable.

— Raymond Lee Schimmel,

Chico