By Juan C. Ayllon “She woke up to (the sound of) bombs,” said Eddie, a senior student at Moody Bible Institute. Interviewed on the Karl and Crew Mornings Moody Radio broadcast in Chicago this morning, this young expatriate described his mother’s friend’s experience this morning in Ukraine. “There’s conflict there all the time,” Eddie explains, adding that they emigrated to the states when he was six so he wouldn’t have to fight to defend his country when he grew older. Now from the safety of campus on Chicago's Near North Side, he exhorts listeners to pray for his Ukrainian compatriots, as well as a change in Putin’s heart.
A dusting of snow swirls on the asphalt as hundreds of trucks and cars roar up and down Interstate Highway 94 in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where I'm listening on my car's radio. At 6:45 AM CST, it’s commerce as usual, but 5,100 miles away, it’s anything but. “Missiles rained down on Ukrainian targets and authorities reported columns of troops pouring across Ukraine's borders from Russia and Belarus to the north and east, and landing on the southern coasts from the Black Sea and Azov Sea,” wrote Natalia Zinets and Aleksandar Vasovic (reuters.com). Sirens blare in Kiev, as attacks come from the north, east and south, another newswire service proclaims. Traffic is in gridlock. People flood supermarkets and line up at ATMs in droves, while others are carrying suitcases to public transportation (free now) to escape the imminent danger. Meanwhile, the U.S. President Biden threatens more sanctions on Russia, while Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin issues a stern warning: whoever threatens to interfere will be faced with the severest of consequences. The Dow is down 365 points and gasoline prices in the U.S. could rise to $5 a gallon, but the potential loss of life in Ukraine is staggering. So far, according to people.com, at least 40 people had been killed in the invasion, however, American intelligence has suggested that 75,000 casualties could result from the escalating conflict (dailysabah.com). To give that perspective, 58,220 U.S. soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War. That’s pretty bad, but in all fairness, missiles were amassed on the Ukrainian side of their border with Russia. Ostensibly set up as defense against potential missile strikes against the west, they could easily be construed as a sinister threat to the motherland. “Seriously, would you allow the installation of a bunch of missiles aimed at the U.S. just across the border in Mexico, or would you do something about it?” my friend, Fred, queried the other day. Point taken. Regardless, with escalating sanctions potentially choking off supply of much needed capital, Russia’s economy–which relies heavily on the export of oil and gas–could collapse. So says show host Karl Clausen (Karl and Crew Mornings, Moody Radio). If this is true, what’s to keep Putin from going for broke and ramping up his aggressions to Armageddon proportions? With the stakes so high, this situation could easily approach the grave nuclear war threat potential of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Perhaps that's alarmist, but neve the less, perhaps we should join Eddie, Karl and Crew in praying not only for the Ukrainians, but also for a change in Putin’s heart because, frankly, if cooler heads (and the Sovereign) don’t prevail, the people of Ukraine may not be the only ones with missiles raining down on them.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
Categories |