Those of us who are old enough or well-read enough remember the word “appeasement” as the tragic strategy that led to the invasion of Poland, Belgium, and France by the armies of an emboldened Adolf Hitler.

While  the Prime Minister of England, Neville Chamberlain, is held largely responsible for the terrible blunder of appeasing Hitler, there were Americans who had a very similar view of what was happening in Europe before — and even during — the Nazi onslaught.

Today, we hear prominent Republican law makers  — made prominent by their volume, not their merit — offering proposals, such as Matt Goetz’s “Ukraine fatigue” resolution, that amount to nothing less than the appeasement of Vladimir Putin. It shocks the conscience of Americans of all political leanings to hear of proposals to abandon the Ukrainians, who have fought so valiantly and intelligently against the vicious attacks by their vast= neighbor to the east.

This is not our era’s Pearl Harbor — yet. But appeasement is very likely to bring it to our doorstep. 

Like Hitler before him, Putin is a criminal madman who will not stop with Ukraine, but will go on to threaten thee sovereignty of his other neighbors, Poland, Lithuania, and Moldova.

Our country must never let “fatigue” weaken our committed support to democracies that are attacked, never mind threatened, by our authoritarian adversaries.

The United State was the “arsenal of democracy” during World War II. Today again today we are able put our might behind our democratic principals. We also owe a debt of duty to those Americans who have suffered in war to defeat murderous tyrants in the past. The only rational for ending support is a shameful desire to keep America’s ultra-wealthys’ taxes low.

Fools like Matt Gaetz have no credibility, and deserve to be treated accordingly.