OPINION:
When our emotions override our intellect, we start seeking information that won’t disappoint us. We begin to ignore details we don’t like. This sort of cherry-picking can effectively reduce our discomfort when things aren’t going our way. We create an information bubble and surround ourselves with people who only tell us what we want to hear.
Unfortunately, self-imposed brainwashing can be profoundly destructive when we find ourselves involved in a war with a country that has tremendous military capability, including a monumental arsenal of nuclear weapons. It’s long past time for a reality check.
This “proxy” war with Russia is unwinnable. The physical capacity of the Ukrainian military to overtake the Russian army — with or without NATO’s help from the sidelines — is simply not in the realm of possibility. All the rhetoric in the world will not win this completely lopsided war.
Unless we want to start World War III, it’s high time for a negotiated settlement. We can still suggest that Russia was defeated. After all, the American public will swallow it whole.
SCOTT THOMPSON
Bloomington, Indiana
