Why This War Scares Boomers
When you ask the typical baby boomer what the formative memories from our childhoods were, most of us would probably cite the school air raid drills where we would hide under our desks, practicing in case of nuclear war.
We might also cite the polio pandemic, rock n’ roll, Disney movies, and a bunch of other cultural cues — Elvis, drive-ins, bobby socks, cowboy shows, etc.
As young adults, most of us remember the JFK assassination, civil rights, the anti-Vietnam War movement, women’s lib, Silent Spring, McCarthyism and more rock n’ roll.
The main story-tellers of our generation were a few years older than us — sort of our big sisters and brothers. The first boomers came along in at the end of World War II in 1946. Bob Dylan was born in 1941, John Lennon in 1940. Our few heroes were much older — MLK was born in 1929; JFK in 1917.
In today’s world, the worst boomers among our entire generation — Putin (1952), Trump (1946) — have risen to power, proving that every age has its scoundrels. And along with them they have brought back our worst nightmare — the specter of nuclear war that would end human life on this planet.
That is the primary and primal fear instilled in us traumatically as school children. Only someone as evil as Putin can truly comprehend the cruelty of his brandishing of nuclear threats to his fellow boomers. It is psychological warfare at its worst.
Today’s News (71):
Putin appears at big rally as troops press attack in Ukraine (AP)
Biden, Xi Talk as U.S. Threatens Actions if China Backs Russia in Ukraine War (WSJ)
In video call, Biden presses China’s Xi on Russia support (AP)
China’s decisive turning point: will it side with Russia and divide the world? (Guardian)
Russia fired missiles at an airport near Lviv, a city where hundreds of thousands found refuge far from Ukraine's battlefields, as Moscow tries to regain the initiative in its stalled campaign. (Reuters)
Russia has attacked Lviv. Here's why the western city is so important to Ukraine's defense (CNN)
Russian missiles hit a fighter jet repair facility in the closest strike yet to Lviv (NPR)
Zelensky: 'Moral defeat' awaits West if it doesn't send more aid (CNN)
UN: 6.5 million people displaced inside Ukraine due to war (AP)
Putin Turned to a Chechen Warlord to Intimidate Ukraine. It Hasn’t Worked. (WSJ)
109 empty strollers sit in a Lviv square, representing children killed in the war (NPR)
130 survivors emerge but 1,300 remain inside bombed Mariupol theater, Ukrainian officials say (WP)
Gun battles as Russian troops reach Mariupol city centre, says mayor (BBC)
Marina Ovsyannikova on Becoming Russia’s Most Visible Antiwar Protester (WSJ)
TV anti-war protester 'wants to stay' in Russia (NHK)
Why Putin Is Hell-Bent on Capturing Ukraine’s Nuclear Reactors (Daily Beast)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed NATO for the war in Ukraine and said he would resist calls to condemn Russia, in comments that cast doubt over whether he would be accepted by Ukraine or the West as a mediator. (Reuters)
Ukraine war: The women tracing missing relatives (BBC)
Russia's wars in Chechnya offer a grim warning of what could be in Ukraine (NPR)
Why Vladimir Putin Invokes Nazis to Justify His Invasion of Ukraine (NYT)
All of the companies still doing business in Russia (Fortune)
Over 400 companies have withdrawn from Russia. But some Western brands are locked in (CNBC)
Western companies that maintain a presence in Russia to provide essential goods such as food and medicines are trying to strike a balance between President Vladimir Putin's government and advocates of Ukraine pulling them in opposite directions. (Reuters)
Telegram Thrives Amid Russia’s Media Crackdown — Russia’s campaign to restrict access to Twitter, Facebook and other sources of uncensored information on its invasion of Ukraine has skipped one crucial platform: the social media and chat app Telegram. (WSJ)
This Is Why Autocracies Fail (David Brooks/NYT)
GOP shrugs off Trump impeachment echoes in Russia-Ukraine war
The former president withheld aid from the same nation that Republicans are accusing Joe Biden of slow-walking aid to. They don't see the parallels. (Politico)
American gunmakers help Ukrainians fight back against Putin (AP)
Putin likens opponents to 'gnats,' signaling new repression (ABC)
As crisis in Ukraine grows, aid agencies rush in supplies (AP)
War Strands Ukrainian and Russian Tourists Together in Egyptian Resorts (NYT)
Ukraine war ups pressure for US oil; industry faces hurdles (AP)
James Whitney Hill, known to friends as Jimmy, was reportedly killed by heavy artillery attacks on unarmed civilians in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. The 68-year-old American freelance lecturer had traveled to Chernihiv to seek treatment for his partner Irina, a Ukrainian citizen who has multiple sclerosis, a friend said. In his final Facebook post Hill said bombing had intensified and there was no way out. [HuffPost]
Propaganda war rages as Russians face huge pressure to back invasion (Financial Times)
"Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis. This is not the Russian people's war." (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Ukraine appears to have stalled Russia's advance. Here's what that could mean (NPR)
Former Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev: ‘I don’t buy this talk that Putin cannot back down’ (Financial Times)
Ukrainian Paralympian returns to Kyiv, calls for peace (NHK)
The Left Has Good Answers on Ukraine — Being anti-war isn’t naive, but a serious, considered, and humane position. (Atlantic)
Russian Hearts and Minds Matter. Here’s How to Reach Them. (Politico)
The world is at a 'dangerous moment' in the fight against diseases like polio, a senior World Health Organization official said, as efforts begin to immunize 23 million children across five African countries after an outbreak in Malawi. (Reuters)
Thousands of Afghans who evacuated their country following the U.S. withdrawal last year will be given temporary protected status for 18 months in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security announced. This comes after DHS issued a similar designation earlier this month to Ukrainian, Sudanese, and South Sudanese nationals living in the United States as refugees from their countries’ continuing wars and violence. [HuffPost]
The Taliban will allow girls around Afghanistan to return to class when high schools open next week, an education official said, after months of uncertainty over whether the group would allow full access to education for girls and women. (Reuters)
The Other Afghan Women — In the countryside, the endless killing of civilians turned women against the occupiers who claimed to be helping them. (New Yorker)
Clandestine Finance System Helped Iran Withstand Sanctions Crush, Documents Show (WSJ)
Trump’s ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows investigated for voter registration fraud (Guardian)
New Secret Service report details growing incel terrorism threat — The federal government on Tuesday released a study on the growing terrorism threat from men who call themselves "anti-feminists" or "involuntary celibates" and draw motivation for violence from their inability to develop relationships with women. Since 2014, attacks inspired by the "incel movement" and spanning the U.S. and Canada have left dozens dead. (CBS)
Jan. 6 trial centers on lingering mystery: Where was Mike Pence as riot raged? (Politico)
Republicans Push Crackdown on Crime Wave That Doesn’t Exist: Voter Fraud (NYT)
Moderna seeks FDA authorization for 4th dose of COVID shot (AP)
COVID cases predicted to rise in coming weeks because of new BA.2 variant (ABC)
Ivermectin Didn’t Reduce Covid-19 Hospitalizations in Largest Trial to Date (WSJ)
A key figure in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told an undercover FBI agent that he wanted to restrain the “tyrant” on a table then pose for a photo “like we just made the biggest drug bust,” according to a secret recording played for jurors. Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta are charged with conspiracy. [AP]
‘Finish Them Off’: Aid Workers, Found on Battlefield, Executed by Soldiers
Three employees of Doctors Without Borders set out to rescue the wounded in a war zone in northern Ethiopia. Their fate shows the treacherous path for many aid workers in conflict zones. (NYT)
Our universe may have a twin that runs backward in time (LiveScience)
Another search for Planet 9 comes up empty (Space.com)
Ranking 2022 NCAA tournament men's basketball coaches as players, 1-68 (ESPN)
Researcher uses 379-year-old algorithm to crack crypto keys found in the wild (Ars Technica)
Progressives take aim at Google’s blockchain foray (Politico)
Biden’s chance to tackle climate change is fading amid global energy upheaval (WP)
California prepares for 3rd dry year after few winter storms (AP)
Gig Workers Say High Gas Prices May Be a Breaking Point (NYT)
Alzheimer’s study: Boston researchers find ‘vicious cycle’ between daytime napping and Alzheimer’s dementia (Boston Herald)
This form of memory loss is common — but most Americans don't know about it (NPR)
Young brothers found in Amazon after nearly four weeks (BBC)
Dog Could At Least Try To Act Like It Cared About Ukraine (The Onion)
Lyrics
"Talkin' World War lll Blues"
Bob Dylan
Some time ago a crazy dream came to me
I dreamt I was walkin' into World War Three
I went to the doctor the very next day
To see what kinda words he could say
He said it was a bad dream
I wouldn't worry 'bout it none, though
They were my own dreams and they're only in my head
I said, "Hold it, Doc, a World War passed through my brain"
He said, "Nurse, get your pad, this boy's insane"
He grabbed my arm, I said, "Ouch!"
As I landed on the psychiatric couch
He said, "Tell me about it"
Well, the whole thing started at 3 o'clock fast
It was all over by quarter past
I was down in the sewer with some little lover
When I peeked out from a manhole cover
Wondering who turned the lights on
Well, I got up and walked around
And up and down the lonesome town
I stood a-wondering which way to go
I lit a cigarette on a parking meter and walked on down the road
It was a normal day
Well, I rung the fallout shelter bell
And I leaned my head and I gave a yell
"Give me a string bean, I'm a hungry man"
A shotgun fired and away I ran
I don't blame them too much though
They didn't know me
Down at the corner by a hot-dog stand
I seen a man
I said, "Howdy friend, I guess there's just us two"
He screamed a bit and away he flew
Thought I was a Communist
Well, I spied me a girl and before she could leave
"Let's go and play Adam and Eve"
I took her by the hand and my heart it was thumpin'
When she said, "Hey man, you crazy or sumpin'
You see what happened last time they started"
Well, I seen a Cadillac window uptown
And there was nobody aroun'
I got into the driver's seat
And I drove down to 42nd Street
In my Cadillac. Good car to drive after a war
Well, I remember seein' some ad
So I turned on my Conelrad
But I didn't pay my Con Ed bill
So the radio didn't work so well
Turned on my record player—
It was Rock-a-day Johnny singin', "Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa
Our Love's A-gonna Grow Ooh-wah, Ooh-wah"
I was feelin' kinda lonesome and blue
I needed somebody to talk to
So I called up the operator of time
Just to hear a voice of some kind
"When you hear the beep it will be three o'clock"
She said that for over an hour
And I hung up
Well, the doctor interrupted me just about then
Sayin', "Hey I've been havin' the same old dreams
But mine was a little different you see
I dreamt that the only person left after the war was me
I didn't see you around"
Well, now time passed and now it seems
Everybody's having them dreams
Everybody sees themselves
Walkin' around with no one else
Half of the people can be part right all of the time
Some of the people can be all right part of the time
But all of the people can't be all right all of the time
I think Abraham Lincoln said that
"I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours"
I said that
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