Ukrainians will need more than our cheers to defeat Russian military

Citizens of the U.S. and other NATO countries praise the Ukrainian citizens’ resolve to hold off Putin’s army as it invaded Ukraine. At first, with the help of ordinary citizens, the Ukrainian military gallantly defended the border with limited weaponry and makeshift Molotov cocktails — all the while begging for help from the U.S. and NATO. Then, as Putin’s army breached the Ukrainian border and bombed, burned and shot these heroic Ukrainians, we, the American people, cheered them on when it was obvious they were on a suicide mission. And, it is possible with our cheering, they were not only egged on to their own destruction, but quite possibly it made Putin even more determined to destroy Ukraine and its citizens. Putin knew the U.S. and NATO were only going to, so to speak, “hold Ukraine’s coat” while they fought to their deaths.

BECKY SMITH, ROSWELL

Truckers protest in D.C. was wasteful during a time of shortages

A convoy of trucks came from all over, heading to the Washington D.C. area, picking up other trucks and RVs along the way. Reportedly, there were over 1,000 trucks when they arrived at their staging area at a racetrack in Maryland. On March 6, the trucks drove around the capital Beltway twice, slowing down traffic. Then, Monday morning, it was back to D.C. to do a final lap around the Beltway, this time using two lanes to slow traffic even more. These folks have a point to make; they’re unhappy about the COVID-19 mandates, the rising price of gasoline and diesel, and the inflation of all goods and services.

How much fuel was wasted driving the empty trucks across the country and around D.C.? No goods were transported while these rolling protests took place. We have supply chain woes and a shortage of truck drivers, yet this is how these “patriots” respond.

DAVE FEDACK, DOUGLASVILLE

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Corbin Spencer, right, field director of New Georgia Project and volunteer Rodney King, left, help Rueke Uyunwa register to vote. The influential group is shutting down after more than a decade. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2017)

Credit: Hyosub Shin