Guns And Garden Hoses

I have been very troubled over the issue of providing arms to the Ukraine government. On the one hand, I feel the necessity to stand up to this kind of aggression both because the aggression is happening against a country whose  sovereignty we promised to protect and support and because if Russia is allowed to commit such lawless actions, I have no doubt it will do so in the future and this disease will spread at least to China and possibly elsewhere in the world.

But I did fear the escalation inherent in such an action. Having listened to John Herbst, former ambassador to Ukraine, make the case for such support on C-SPAN, I have concluded that it is an appropriate and effective action. I now believe we should make the commitment and provide the weaponry.

The garden hose reference is to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's declaration during World War II (before the United States had entered it) that if a neighbor's  house is on fire you lend him your hose so be can put it out. This was in support of the lend lease program.