A recent Quinnipiac poll asked Americans, “What would you do if you were in the same position as Ukrainians are now? Stay and fight or leave the country?” Disturbingly, only 55 percent said they would stay and fight. Overall, 38 percent of Americans said they would flee.
Many Americans are rooting for the Ukrainians in their battle against the Russian invasion. And this, to my mind, seems right. We should not miss, however, the challenge that the Ukrainian situation poses to several of our most cherished presuppositions about the nature and purposes of the state….
When Ukrainians living in freedom in the West leave it to return to their country to fight, they show that their concern is not merely for their own freedom to do what they want, but for their country.
Would fewer people die if the Ukrainians simply gave up and allowed themselves to be ruled by Russia? Perhaps. Would they still have food, theaters, cars, houses, and vacations? Probably. Would their puppet government be so much more dysfunctional than their current one? Maybe not. But what they would not have anymore is their country.
And by this, we don’t just mean an ethnic enclave for non-Russians. People like Hitler and Putin have been encouraged to think of nations in terms of racial, ethnic, or linguistic identity because that was a tradition bequeathed to the world in the aftermath of the First World War. Why do Putin and other Russians think Ukraine is part of the “Russian world”? Because there are people who speak Russian living there who share a common history and culture.
All true. But none of that leads to the conclusion that Ukraine is not its own country, with its own proper political order and its own sovereign territory. A state is not an entity based on ethnicity or race or something that happened centuries ago. On the Catholic view, it is a distinct political order present now with institutions ordered to the common good.
Ukrainians are willing to fight for their country because they believe the country is something worth fighting and sacrificing for. They would not do that if they believed that their country’s only value was in the individual benefits it could provide for them….
The above comes from a March 23 story in The Catholic Thing.
Apples and oranges…if someone invaded California, I’d probably go help….then all the cowboys from eastern Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana would take it back for America….
Unfortunately, They seem to have already invaded California, and taken over the government.
“if someone invaded California, I’d probably go help…” best comment on this site this month…..
As if there’s nothing admirable about Russians fighting for their own country. NATO and the U.S. have kept creeping and creeping toward Russia’s border and Russia has warned and warned. What is Russia supposed to do?
kill a bunch of civilians?
Good God! Russia is not fighting for its own country. Ukraine is an independent free country that was invaded for no reason. Have you not seen the destruction of the cities and towns, the millions of people who fled to save the children? Putin is a warmonger who should be brought to trial for his war crimes. To even support the idea that he is doing something good boggles the mind. This is more than just a fight for land, it is a fight to save democracy in Europe.
I accidentally gave Bob One a thumbs up, but did not intend to click either way.
“This is more than just a fight for land, it is a fight to save democracy in Europe.” Only people like Bob One who has swallowed the media narratives believes the Ukraine is even remotely a democracy. Their hero Zelensky is nothing more than thug who has jailed opponents and shut down opposition media. To them democracy is sexual license and the perversion of society. If thats what they are fighting for I hope Russian tanks reach the Atlantic
bohemond, perhaps the next time I’m in New York we can sit down for a cup of coffee and see if we can agree that the sun is shinning. As long as it isn’t Dunkin.
I’m sure you are Starbucks kind of guy, I prefer the local Mexican bodega coffee , even though you think I am racist, which would be news to my Latina wife
So you remarried or am I confusing you with someone else?
You are confused
Sorry. Thanks.
It doesn’t matter once Pope Francis consecrates Russia. Then we’ll have everlasting peace on earth. So just hold your fingers that the nukes aren’t launched before Pope Francis says the prayer. After the prayer, no worries.
I could be wrong, but if I remember correctly I read that Our Lady said that Russia would indeed be consecrated but that it would be too late.
I think She said “late” not “too late.”
There’s still war. Looks like the consecration didn’t work or was too late like “too late?” said.
Think about what consecration means.
A significant minority would apologize for American history and then surrender. You know, like we’re doing now.
I identify as supporting Ukraine until it’s no longer fashionable to identify as that.
we don’t know what the Ukrainians
would do, will do or are doing.
The mainstream media is simply
the mouthpiece for the State, the
so-called “ministry of truth.”
American public fed mis-info, formerly
referred to as “lies.”
This is gas lighting.
More Russian propaganda. We know because of satellite images and on the ground reporters from dozens of countries. They aren’t run by the state, unlike Russian state media. Again, why does CCD publish Russian propaganda?
Let’s remember that here in the U.S. the only thing the Left is concerned with is how to keep the current invasion in motion.
I find it ironic that the Leftists are supporting the Ukrainians when all the Ukrainians have is their White Privilege. But then, so do most Russians.
Father Higgins, please don’t use calumny. What evidence do you that that the only thing the left is concerned with is how to keep the invasion in motion. What an absurd and insulting thing to say.
Hey no need what leftist is calling for an end to hostilities, they want their LGBT cause to continue
The left supports Zelensky, not the average normal Ukrainian. The man is a clown in more ways than one.
Anne TE, in the 2019 election in Ukraine, 66.8% of voters went to the polls, and 72.23% of them voted for Zelensky.
Bob One Zelensky jailed opposition candidates and shut down opposition media=autocrat
Bob One, 2014 the Obama helped overthrow a duly elected government to replace it with a EU friendly president. I guess your MSM forgot to mention that
Father Higgins comment is so absurd and offensive that I am forwarding it to Archbishop Gomez and to Bishop McElroy. CCD should have never published the comment and should take it down immediately.
Do you also object to how the US annexed the Republic of West Florida? The Republic of Texas? The Bear Republic? The Kingdom of Hawaii?
To Anne TE:
I concur but, as usual, you are too kind
in referring to Mr. Z as a “clown.”
You may be interested to know that the
“Human Barbie” is also Ukrainian.
Another fascinating specimen of humanity – I think?
Yes, I was being kind. I only saw enough of two of his “clown” videos to decide that I did not want to see any more.
It reminds me of the time I got on the Marilyn Manson website to see if the Evangelicals were right as to what they said about him. I clicked on the site. It literally asked me to click on a “sell my soul to the devil” link to see anything further, and I said to myself, “Yep, the Evangelicals are right, ” and got off of the site as fast as my fingers could go.
The fact that Zelinsky is friends with the Canadian Trudeau tells me all I need to know.
The West has been fed lies about Ukraine to gin up support for WW3. Why the elites want WW3, I don’t know. but they have been caught faking coverage of war damage and civilian casualties.
Screw Ukraine. Putin is the good guy in all this. It’s being reported and has been confirmed from Hunter Biden’s laptop that he personally arranged for US Department of Defense funds to support Ukrainian bioweapons labs. Applesauce brains and his cronies know the evidence implicates him, so he wants Ukraine destroyed so there will be no evidence.
We’re all being played. Biden wants an escalation of war in Ukraine for personal reasons.
This never would have happened if the press had investigated the laptop thoroughly before the election. Then Applesauce brains wouldn’t have been elected.
Hey, don’t malign applesauce.
This is the reason I leave. Too weird.
Neither Putin nor Zelensky are the “good guys” Putin needs to stop taking over countries and spreading the Russian errors, and Zelinsky needs to stop his vulgar behavior and stop pushing anything LGTG+. As Our Lady said at Fatima, Russia needs to stop sowing its errors and the the rest of the world needs to convert from its sins. That includes any breakage of the Sixth Commandment. The Russian Orthodox allow three marriages while the first spouse is still alive. That is not what Christ taught. There is error on all sides. Until then, no peace.
I don’t care what happens in Ukraine. It’s over there not here.
There are too many Russian bots on this site!
If you disagree with a post, does that mean you think it was made by a Russian bot?
Femme-bots?
If that’s true, the bots’ English is outstanding!
The media doesn’t report Ukraine’s bombings. It is not “the narrative,” i.e., the anti-Russia, pro-war narrative.