In response to Michael Hidek’s letter, “War is a racket,” it’s true that since Vietnam, there’s been little excuse for most of the wars we’ve fought, and I’m deeply sorry for how we’ve misused our soldiers. But sweeping generalizations, such as opining that all war is a scam, are always wrong. Sometimes, war is necessary. Dictators on the march are never good, especially when they seek to dominate and overthrow our neighbors. The devastation to Ukraine is an existential threat to Europebecause of its important export of grain. Vladimir Putin wants to control Europe’s supply of both energy and food, and therefore Europe itself.
The force driving this war is food, or the growing lack of it. Global warming is damaging and destroying crops all over the world and control of what remains is going to be a growing source of conflict. You see this reflected in the world’s growing inflation. Ukraine is still a great place to grow grain, or it was until Putin bombed it to rubble. Taiwan is about fish and control of foreign food markets. Problems like this are only going to get worse as the world is forced to tighten its belt.
Mr. Hidek complained about the expense. Sending our old arms to Ukraine is way cheaper than sending our sons and daughters. Sadly, sons and daughters is another resource the world is running short on, but we will be sending them eventually — if not in Ukraine, then in the next 10 wars that will be breaking out soon. Count on it.
Oh, and bring back 9 Chickweed Lane.
— Mark Bondurant
Anchorage
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