I loved hearing Peter's story about accompanying his father's student group to Moscow during the United State's Bicentennial. Many years ago, I had the pleasure of hanging with Peter and accepting a gracious ride from Peter's dad back to my West Point Prep post at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. Pete's dad was engrossing, listening to his tales of his work with Voice of America, dissidents, and that very same Bicentennial trip to Moscow. I remember how Peter's Dad, George Byrne (I think George, but mr. byrne to me) a Russian professor at Marymount University recounted how the KGB was bugging the hotel phones and planting agitators in the audience to make fun of the stupid Americans' shortfalls in the Russian language during his groups trip to Moscow. Let's just say in that brief time I spent with him was memorable. I would have loved to have been one of his lucky students.
Fast forward to 2024, 2 years from America's 250th birthday celebration and now as a sectarian I have lost my notion that humankind ever learned anything from the past. I , like most in the West, abhor the Russian invasion, but we also must introspectively own our actions which have led to this moment. I am no pacifist-- but the killing and destruction must be stopped either by committing to win the war or to come to a mutually, distasteful treaty....and to me the latter is at this point the most sensible solution.
When the world was full of magic, and twigs became wands, no one thought that they would have to defend magic one day, and that magic might lose. Might.
I loved hearing Peter's story about accompanying his father's student group to Moscow during the United State's Bicentennial. Many years ago, I had the pleasure of hanging with Peter and accepting a gracious ride from Peter's dad back to my West Point Prep post at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. Pete's dad was engrossing, listening to his tales of his work with Voice of America, dissidents, and that very same Bicentennial trip to Moscow. I remember how Peter's Dad, George Byrne (I think George, but mr. byrne to me) a Russian professor at Marymount University recounted how the KGB was bugging the hotel phones and planting agitators in the audience to make fun of the stupid Americans' shortfalls in the Russian language during his groups trip to Moscow. Let's just say in that brief time I spent with him was memorable. I would have loved to have been one of his lucky students.
Fast forward to 2024, 2 years from America's 250th birthday celebration and now as a sectarian I have lost my notion that humankind ever learned anything from the past. I , like most in the West, abhor the Russian invasion, but we also must introspectively own our actions which have led to this moment. I am no pacifist-- but the killing and destruction must be stopped either by committing to win the war or to come to a mutually, distasteful treaty....and to me the latter is at this point the most sensible solution.
Sensible for whom?
When the world was full of magic, and twigs became wands, no one thought that they would have to defend magic one day, and that magic might lose. Might.