Tulsi Gabbard is not qualified to be Director of National Intelligence; this photo exposes another potential threat. Do we really need more personal controversy?

I’m having a hard time out of the gate this p.m. Maybe because I’ve grown tired of that steady, menacing growl from global war-seekers. We are dealing with multiple flash points with which we’ve had little to do. But that is not entirely true; our experience in dealing with criminal Jihadist-communist-fascist regimes such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, for centuries, demands that we (the democratic West) not seek to absolve ourselves of responsibility. Reasonable people should know better. We have chosen to remain unprepared for confrontation with a thoroughly acknowledged perpetual menace. If a friend’s dire need requires a hundred gallons of water but we slowly provide only a quart, we have betrayed that friend and are untrustworthy. War makes this betrayal indelible and often fatal. In understanding Ukraine’s dire need and offering reluctant, inadequate assistance, both Europe and America have become infamous. The billions we have provided for Ukrainian help will be completely wasted and Europe vulnerable if Russia is permitted to win the war. Wasted as well would be some 300,000 Ukrainian fighting men. Serious war? Today, with the slaughter of 700,000 hapless Russians (last week 1,700 per day), the death toll has reached 1 million! Like rust, Satan never sleeps, he’s relentless. Democracies today think evil is just a sometime thing permitting vacations.

I have only two worries remaining so far as Trump prepares to take over the helm. The first is the probability of abandoning Ukraine; the second is the candidacy of Tulsi Gabbard. Another concern of mine was the candidacy of Pete Hegseth for Sect. of Defense. Today we learned he will probably not go forward. Hegseth is a strong patriot and I admire his service. However, he doesn’t have the depth of experience for this huge job. I hope Trump uses him elsewhere.

Ukraine is doing the fighting and dying for us. Yes, for us. We will pay personally and face-to-face if Ukraine loses to Russia. Millions more will flood into Europe from their devastated homeland, having lost everything to Putin’s criminal army.

Note: Sleep has ambushed me so I will substitute a short but clear view of the importance of Ukraine as provided by “Mykola Bielieskov - a research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies and a senior analyst at Ukrainian NGO “Come Back Alive.” The views expressed in this article are the author’s personal position and do not reflect the opinions or views of NISS or Come Back Alive.”

[The neglect of Ukraine after the 1991 Soviet collapse] “… coincided with the rise of a more assertive Russia. In 2008, Russian troops invaded Georgia. Six years later, the Kremlin occupied Crimea and sparked a war in eastern Ukraine. By 2022, an emboldened Putin felt strong enough to launch the biggest European invasion since World War II. This escalating Russian aggression should serve as a painful lesson for anyone tempted to take the continued existence of an independent Ukraine for granted. Ukraine is currently facing the most challenging period since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Starved of supplies, Ukrainian troops find themselves forced to ration ammunition. In many cases, they are already unable to prevent Russia from edging forward. This is fueling increasingly pessimistic forecasts as the spring campaigning season draws near.” The stakes could hardly be higher. If Russia’s invasion succeeds, the consequences will be felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine. The Russian military will be revitalized by the capture of Ukraine’s vast human and material resources, and will loom large on the eastern border of a NATO alliance demoralized and discredited by its failure to defend Ukrainian independence. At that point, many in the West may begin to ask why they didn’t arm Ukraine when they had the chance. By then, of course, it will be too late.”

Donald Trump needs Mike Pompeo to persuade him to arm Ukraine to the teeth instead of abandoning it.

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Only a quick objection to the candidacy of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence, another critical position — “overseeing and directing the huge budgets of 18 government intelligence agencies and advising the president on matters related to national security.”

Gabbard’s deep and lengthy membership, with family and friends, in “the HareKrishna offshoot cult” should disqualify her from this top intelligence agency, however honorable her military service has been. “The Hare Krishna movement, also known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), is a religious practice that combines traditional Hindu beliefs with monotheistic beliefs. The movement was founded in 1965 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta, an Indian religious leader and author.”

Gabbard’s religious faith is guaranteed by our First Amendment. The question concerns whether her faith would interfere with federal duties which may not be approved by faith leader Chris Butler. “A tight-knit SIF community of around a thousand followers developed across Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. It reportedly includes members of the families of Gabbard and Williams.” Gabbard calls Butler a ‘guru’. “But some former members of his group have described themselves as survivors of a cult, of which Butler was an all-powerful and unquestionable leader.”

“I was raised to believe Chris Butler (founder) was God’s voice on earth, and if you questioned him or offended him in any way, you were effectively offending God,” one such former SIF member wrote in a 2017 post on Medium.”

“Questioning the leader was spiritual suicide, which was seen as worse than death.” What about contrary orders from our Commander-in-Chief?