The riots in the Ukraine, notably in Kiev, are hard to watch. The bloodshed is sad, and we all wish it would end. But it's not up to anyone else in the world other than the people of the country.
I read today that President Obama is threatening "consequences' regarding the situation. I am much older than the president, and I think I have a right to give him some advice. "Keep your nose and the American people out of it."
The people of the Ukraine are the government. If their own government forces are attacking them, those forces are in the wrong. The populace of no country should work for the nation's elected officials; they are supposed to work for us.
President Viktor Yanukovych is supposed to follow the wishes of the people. He is not supposed to be a dictator. If he failed in his duty, he should be removed from power by any means, as was the president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi.
Yanukovych cannot win this battle. The people will prevail, and that is the way it should be. And don't be fooled by the fact that there is no news out of Turkey. They are not finished yet. The people will find a way to remove their dictatorial leader as well. And uprisings in Bangkok and Caracas are happening as we speak.
The events taking place in the Ukraine are important, and should remain without input or interference from the leaders of other nations. Abraham Lincoln said: "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it." And so shall it be.
The people of any country have the right to demand their elected leaders act in such a manner that they represent the will of the people. If governments fail, they should be removed from power. The people of the Ukraine have that right and their demands must be met. The days of autocratic power by despotic leaders is over. No longer can freedom be hidden from the eyes of a country's people. The social media, movies, and television have created an awareness that did not exist 50 years ago. There will be no more Hitlers, Stalins, or even Emperors in the Far East. The people will no longer stand for their leaders amassing ultimate power.
Let the leaders of every country in the world take notice. We are all "mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore.'
James Turnage
Op-ed
1
1
1
