There are few absolutes in the world, but one that many can agree on is that human beings have the capacity to be brutal animals. This fact branded within the collective ken of most mankind is one of the very reasons why many would be drawn to these pages. Had we, as human beings, not have the understanding or some sort of genealogical/genetic programming within our DNA that there are less humane humans out there, we’d all be destined to be ruled. The history of the world’s wars has shown us crimes against humanity over and over again. The most recent war, the one in Ukraine, is going to be no different than many that have come before it. Full of atrocity. That notion is what has moved our Attorney General Garland to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ukrainian prosecutor.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin met today in Washington to discuss efforts to hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and other atrocities in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine. The leaders outlined areas for enhanced collaboration and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will facilitate appropriate cooperation, coordination, and deconfliction between each country’s respective investigations and prosecutions.

“The United States stands by the people of Ukraine in their tireless pursuit to uphold the rule of law and seek justice for victims in the face of Russia’s continued aggression,” said U.S. Attorney General Garland. “Today, the Department of Justice and the Prosecutor General’s Office announced our decision to work more closely together to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine. We will be relentless in these efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.”

The pledge goes not much further than any “I stand with Ukraine” social media frame, pinned post, meme, or anything of the sort our over caffeinated latte drinking basic public executes to #showsupport #standwithukraine. The MOU at least though is a pledge to go after the worst of the worst. The same way the Allies went after the wurst of the wurst during the Nuremberg trials.

In an earlier release, Garland commends the people of Ukraine and their determination to defend their country.

In a meeting with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland commended the efforts of the Ukrainian people to defend democracy and uphold the rule of law, and announced additional U.S. actions to help Ukraine identify, apprehend, and prosecute those individuals involved in war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.

The irony to all of this of course can be uncovered by asking what exactly is “defend and uphold the rule of law…”? It would not be a quantum leap to assume Garland is talking about how the citizens of Ukraine took up arms to physically defend their homes, cities, country, and countrymen. 

16th and 17th century barrister Edward Coke was attributed to having colloquially said “Precaution is better than cure.” The former British Chief Justice of the King’s Bench highlights a proverb that’s rather universal. For us that study use of force escalation, the easiest fight to win is the one we don’t get into in the first place. What Garland is executing here while grandstanding and showing his support with his own #istandwithukraine virtue signal is fine and dandy (and yes important), pledging to bring justice to victims of war crimes does nothing to prevent such crimes from occurring in the first place.

A 2017 New Yorker article referred to the Ukraine as a “‘Supermarket’ for guns”, while unilaterally making the point that what the Ukraine did on paper was different than in practice.

Ukraine has long had a tricky relationship with guns. In the course of its post-Soviet history, it has been the only country in Europe without legislation governing the civilian possession of firearms. More than a dozen laws have been proposed, but none have been passed by parliament. Instead, Ukrainian gun ownership is regulated by ordinances overseen by the interior ministry. Officially, the only legal way to own a firearm in Ukraine today is to acquire a rifle for hunting or sporting purposes; handguns are banned, available only to security guards and certain categories of state officials.

Those, at least, are the rules on paper. But the war in Ukraine’s east—a grinding conflict between pro-Kiev forces and Russia-backed separatists that has left ten thousand people dead—has made an absurd mockery of these regulations. In the conflict’s early days, when the Ukrainian military was in disarray after the Maidan Revolution and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, much of the fighting was carried out by members of hastily assembled volunteer battalions. Those battalions had an unclear legal status and were not always well equipped; their weapons and supplies came from donations, private supplies, and the black market.

Garland’s commitment to bringing charges against war criminals can be mockingly akin to when progressives lay waste to a conservative expressing their thoughts and prayers in the wake of a tragedy.

The lesson that most of the radical left seems to be missing when it comes to the war in Ukraine, the alleged war crimes, and any possible cure people may get, is that there’s a whole lot of precaution that could have been exercised to stave off such an invasion. Conceivably, the “supermarket” status of Ukraine’s black market arms cache is what can be attributed to some of the level of “success”  the Ukrainians have in keeping Russian forces somewhat at bay.

The disarmament policies of the Biden-Harris administration, inclusive of their Department of Justice, are exactly what’s needed to create a population that’s ripe for being rolled over by tanks. If Garland and the rest of the swamp critters were really genuine, they’d look inward and say “Ya know, we don’t want this happening here, so perhaps it’s best to arm and train our people.” No such utterance would come from the party of civil-liberty usurpation. 

More irony is that the same party and people from the same cloth of Biden-Harris, Garland, et.al. are seeking to dismantle the National Rifle Association. The NRA’s original purpose, which they still fulfill to this day, is to train citizens to be proficient in and ready for the use of arms should we find ourselves in wartime. The Union may have won, but postbellum they admitted the South had far better marksmanship skills than the victors, thus the importance of training everyone.

From one side of Garland’s mouth he commends the Ukrainian people for defending their nation (with arms), and out the other calls for the disassembly of our own constitutional rights. Bravo Attorney General for your #istandwithukraine profile image frame you have posted for all to see. While that’s all going on, how’s about discussing keeping such things from happening here? Makes me wonder why they don’t.