The Washington Post - USA (2022-02-22)

A18 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 , 2022

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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HIS IS the way the postwar world ends, and the post-Cold War world, too: not yet with a bang, and not with anything close to a whimper, but with a rant. In an extraordinary soliloquy viewed live around the world Monday, President Vladimir Putin of Russia attacked and delegitimized not just independent Ukraine and its government but all facets of the security architecture in Europe, declaring both to be creatures of a corrupt West — headed by the United States — that are unremittingly hostile toward Russia. By the time he was done speaking, Mr. Putin had not only broadcast his intent to disrupt institutions that have kept the peace in Europe, mostly, after 1945 but also laid out the ideological basis for launching a war — even if he did not quite declare it. The key point was to recognize two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, and thus to discard any pretense of respect- ing Ukraine’s territorial integrity. More ominous, given his subsequent dispatch of “peacekeeping” troops over the border into the regions, was Mr. Putin’s demand that “those who seized and hold power in Kyiv” cease hostilities, or else “all respon-

power in Moscow, which would be threatened by a successful democratic experiment in a former Soviet republic of Ukraine’s size and cultural importance. Mr. Putin’s aggressive words and deeds followed a plea Sunday from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zel- ensky, to assembled world leaders in Munich, in which he chided the United States and Europe for their failure to counter Mr. Putin sooner. In that city where Britain and France cut a foolish and short-lived deal with Nazi Germany in 1938, Mr. Zelensky used the historical- ly freighted word “appeasement.” We would respectfully disagree, to the extent that after years of Western temporizing about Russia, President Biden has so far effectively rallied NATO to condemn and oppose Mr. Putin’s aggression in recent weeks. After Monday, it is unfortunately clear that Mr. Putin has not been deterred, war is likely, and there is no longer any reason to wait in imposing sanctions — even extending them beyond the breakaway regions, which the White House immediately targeted. That would be the first step in decisively responding to this geopolitical crisis, but it can hardly be the last.

sibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling on the territory of Ukraine.” War looming, he had this warning to those who helped oust a Kremlin-backed regime in Ukraine in 2014: “We know their names, and we will find them and bring them to justice.” Rebutting Mr. Putin’s arguments is almost beside the point — it’s doubtful even he believes his wild accusations about Ukraine as a future platform for NATO aggression — but not entirely. The truth is that Ukraine is a member state of the United Nations, whose security Rus- sia itself undertook to respect 28 years ago, in exchange for Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament. Ukraine has not been waging “genocide” against a Russian- speaking ethnic minority, as Mr. Putin alleged, but defending itself from a 2014-2015 Russian destabilization campaign that created the breakaway regions and engineered the seizure of Ukraine’s strategic Crimean region on the Black Sea. Mr. Putin’s pseudo-history about the kinship of Russians and Ukrai- nians ignores those facts. His true reason for targeting Ukraine is not Russian national security but to preserve his own

Mr. Putin all but declares war

He formally recognized Ukraine’s separatist regions and dashed hopes for peace.

T

HE FEDERAL government does not maintain an official “no- brainer list” of policies. If it did, there’s a good chance many Americans would applaud if one were a rule barring violent, unruly and disrup- tive airline passengers from the skies. Applause has been exactly the reaction on some planes when aggressive passengers were removed following moments of onboard mayhem, often related to mask mandates. And when an NBC affiliate in Republican-leaning Kern County, Calif., asked last fall, “Should there be a no-fly list for passengers who disrupt flights?,” the results of an admittedly unscientific text-in poll were clear. Yes: 93 percent. No: 7 percent. Nonetheless, some Republicans in Washington are grandstanding, reject- ing no-nonsense measures to keep passengers and crews safe on airlines. In a recent letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, eight GOP senators opposed establishing a national no-fly list for unruly passengers — even ones so violent and dangerous that they are convicted of committing a federal offense in the skies.

The eight Republicans who signed the letter are Sens. Cynthia M. Lummis (Wyo.), Mike Lee (Utah), James Lankford (Okla.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Ted Cruz (Tex.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Rick Scott (Fla.). They consti- tute what must be one of the more unusual groupings on Capitol Hill: Call it the Aviation Threat Forgiveness Caucus. The senators wrote in response to a proposal from the chief executive of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian, who suggest- ed a no-fly list be established by the federal government. In his view, and in that of the main union representing flight attendants, a list barring even the relatively small number of passengers convicted of unruly onboard conduct would be useful to combat an explosion over the past year of such incidents, most of them related to mask-wearing. The senators’ timing was unfortunate. Their letter was released Feb. 14, the very day reports started circulating that a Delta passenger had tried to wrench open an emergency door while a plane was in flight from Salt Lake City to Portland, Ore., a ccording to the Justice

Department. The passenger now faces federal charges; if convicted, he would be a strong candidate for a no-fly list if one is created. The senators’ tortured logic is that a no-fly list for unruly passengers opposed to onboard mask mandates “would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Ameri- cans and perpetrate attacks on the home- land,” as they wrote in their letter. The key word there is “seemingly,” which the senators stretch beyond its breaking point. If the government moves forward with a no-fly list, it should take reasonable steps to calibrate its impact, including by ensuring that bans on individuals are temporary, for a duration linked to the offense’s severity, and by establishing a process by which sanctioned individuals can appeal. But most people are clear on the difference between a terrorist and a miscreant who assaults a flight atten- dant. And most are equally certain that both pose a threat and should be banned from the skies.

Protecting the not-so-friendly skies

Some Republicans are erring in their bid to keep unruly passengers off the no-fly list.

White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy called the findings a sign that “our climate crisis... is blinking ‘code red.’ ” It’s yet another reminder of the importance of keeping temperature increases under 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, the threshold scientists warn we shouldn’t pass. That imperative won’t be achievable without large-scale pol- icy changes to boost energy efficiency, clean technologies and alternatives to fossil fuels. NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad,

for his part, described the report as a “wake-up call with a silver lining” because it offers practical information on how U.S. communities can prepare for changing climate realities. But the more we delay serious emissions cuts and the transition to a more sustain- able society, the slimmer any potential silver lining will be. The threats to ecosystems, communities and liveli- hoods are growing. There is still time to act — but the window of opportunity is narrowing by the day.

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VER THE past century, sea levels in the United States rose by approximately a foot. That is a staggering amount — and one that could be matched in just the next three decades, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and five other agencies. By 2050, U.S. sea levels could rise between 10 and 12 inches. In the East and the Gulf Coast, the figure could be even higher. The impacts would be devastating. Coastal flooding has already become more frequent and harmful in areas such as Maryland’s Eastern Shore. By the middle of the century, “moderate” flooding events — ones that involve some damage to roads or structures and potentially require flood warnings and evacuations — could become 10 times more common than they are today. The report, which also maps flooding projections across the country, provides a blueprint for local, state and federal authorities trying to adapt. It’s clear that deep structural changes must be made to the nation’s infrastructure, particularly in coastal areas — and soon. Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. popula- tion lives in counties on the coast. If NOAA’s projection materializes by 2050, the Union of Concerned Scientists esti- mates 140,000 homes would be at risk of flooding on average once every two weeks. Ports and other commercial infrastructure along the coasts could also see serious damage, affecting sup- ply chains and raising costs even for those living inland. Then there are the harms to coastal ecosystems, which are already reeling from erosion, flooding and lost habitats. The report comes with an urgent warning: Emissions matter, both now and in the future. Thanks to heating that has already taken place, the 2050 projections will likely still materialize even if emissions are curbed. But if emissions are not reduced, the situation will be far worse: Sea level along the U.S. coastline could rise up to 7 feet by the end of the century, a catastrophic outcome.

‘Code red’ on the climate

Sea levels are rising at a staggering rate. We’re running out of time to act.

Regarding the Feb. 13 Metro article “A trailblazing Virginian takes her campaign national”: Though I have nothing but praise for the success Kati Hornung has had in getting support for the Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia and elsewhere, she did this by standing on the shoulders of giants who worked on this issue in Virginia for decades before Ms. Hornung began her efforts. It would have been more contextual if The Post had researched and provided a deeper history of the actions of such pro- ERA stars as Catherine East, who served on John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Commis- sion on the Status of Women; Marianne Fowler, chair of the Virginia Women’s Polit- ical Caucus; Jean Marshall Crawford, state coordinator, Virginia NOW; Kathy Wilson, chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus and a Republican leader; Elise Hei- nz, a Democratic state delegate representing Arlington and Alexandria; Sonia John- son, co-founder of Mormons for ERA; and others (including me) who fought valiantly against the Democratic leadership in the Virginia General Assembly, which bitterly opposed ratification of the amendment. Let’s have no revisionist history as to why the ERA failed back then. It was scut- tled by the Democratic Party in almost all the unratified states. Ms. Hornung’s efforts are laudable, and I hope they can be successful this time around. Amoretta M. “Amie” Hoeber, Potomac

Hoping for an ERA success

In her Feb. 17, 2021, Wednesday Opinion column, “To cancel, or not to cancel: That is the question,” Kathleen Parker defended William Shakespeare from being “can- celed” from schools by a group calling itself #DisruptTexts, which Ms. Parker quoted describing itself as “a ‘grassroots effort by teachers for teachers’ to ‘challenge the tra- ditional canon.’ ” I wrote a letter forecast- ing the foolishness of not expecting these book-banning actions to boomerang. How entirely and disappointingly unsurprising, then, to see that c ome true, as described by Azar Nafisi in her Feb. 17 op-ed, “Book bans are canaries in coal mines.” Of course, banning (or canceling or deplatforming or decolonizing or whatever ephemeral ve- neer the self-styled morality police want to throw on their actions) will have equal and opposite repercussions, because the im- pulse to ban books isn’t one of protection; it’s the aggressive imposition of a parochial and discriminatory worldview. And aggression, inevitably, begets aggression. I wish I could believe that Ms. Parker and Ms. Nafisi could persuade offenders on both ends of the political spectrum to re- think their actions. Instead, I hope that defenders of liberal education (in the broad sense of a bsorbing competing ideas) — be they parents, teachers, politicians or all of the above — will join in expecting better for our children’s fast-deteriorating educations: namely, the opportunity to learn, not be told. Michael Doumitt, Woodbridge

Education is for learning

Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced a bill that would suspend the federal gas tax until the end of 2022. They remind me of J. Welling- ton Wimpy, who famously said, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” In this case, it would be a discount for the cost of filling up your gas tank. Tuesday might never come for motorists who have to pay for these proposed goodies. What neither senator addressed is the result, which would be billions less going into the High- way Trust Fund. This is a critical source of funding for highway and transit projects. A federal gas tax holiday would result in Uncle Sam not collecting $0.18 for every gallon of gas purchased. The Highway Trust Fund already faces financial difficulties. The loss of billions would have to be made up at a later date. Congress will have to decide how to make up the lost money. It will raise taxes, trans- fer revenue from another source or reduce the scope or number of transportation- funded projects. Motorists and transit rid- ers will be the losers. Larry Penner, Great Neck, N.Y.

Pay now, or pay later

The Feb. 18 editorial “In a moment of peril, clarity” correctly pointed to the link between Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and the Putin regime’s increasing- ly oppressive nature at home. However, the examples given of such domestic political oppression are far from the most jarring. On Feb. 10, a court in Kansk sentenced three middle school boys for putative “ter- rorism” offenses. The boys, who were 14 at the time, were arrested by the FSB in June 2020 while putting up leaflets on the wall of a local FSB office. The leaflets expressed support for a jailed Moscow State Univer- sity mathematics graduate student and an opposition political activist Azat Miftak- hov. Although minors and civilians, the boys were tried by a military court in a closed proceedings. One of the boys, Nikita Uvarov, received a five-year prison sen- tence, likely because he refused to cooper- ate with the authorities from the start. The other two boys, who initially admitted some guilt under coercion, received sus- pended prison sentences. Political persecution of children is bar- baric and despicable, and Russian Presi- dent Vladimir Putin is using the distrac- tion of the Ukraine conflict to perpetrate this shameful practice. Ilya Kapovich, New York The writer is a member of the Azat Miftakhov Committee of Mathematicians.

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c iting P LCCA. Additionally, he ordered us to pay costs and fees in excess of $263,000, which eventually bankrupted us. We are heartened that Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, was able to expose that Remington Arms hid scientific research and other facts while duping American consumers into believ- ing that guns everywhere make us safer. Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, Boerne, Tex. The writers are founders of Survivors Empowered.

We are thrilled to learn that nine Sandy Hook Elementary School families have reached a $73 million settlement with Remington Arms [“A remarkable victory,” editorial, Feb. 18]. This is a triumphant breakthrough of the impenetrable wall of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) passed by Congress to keep victims of gun violence out of civil courts and to keep the gun industry out of the reach of justice. After our daughter, Jessi Ghawi, was killed in the mass shooting in 2012 at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., we attempted to hold accountable an online ammunition seller (Phillips v. Lucky Gunner). A federal judge in Colorado dismissed our case,

Heartened by a gun victory

DRAWING BOARD MATT DAVIES

B Y MATT DAVIES FOR NEWSDAY

The Washington Post - USA (2022-02-22)

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