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Biden Shows Resolve — And Restraint

Defending Ukraine, Biden Shows Resolve — And Restraint

Restraint is a useful but often unsatisfying virtue, and in the case of Ukraine, there are plenty of people who think that it's not a virtue at all. Fortunately, American policy is being set by Joe Biden, who has a sober understanding of the perils of overreach.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine spurred all sorts of extravagant demands for U.S. action. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), urged the president "to send not just arms but troops to the aid in defense of Ukraine." Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)., was one of several GOP members of Congress to say the U.S. should establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine — which could mean shooting down Russian warplanes.

Biden dismissed these options, even as he extended economic aid, weapons and moral support to the besieged Ukrainian government. But prudence invites charges of weakness. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., says Biden is "scared of Putin."

On Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), took to Twitter to accuse Biden of "a betrayal of #Ukraine and democracy itself." His offense? Declining to provide Ukraine with missiles that can hit targets as far as 185 miles away.

"We're not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia," Biden said flatly. The obvious reason is that such missile attacks would drastically raise the stakes for Vladimir Putin — who, let us not forget, has the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Biden is not about to outsource our fate to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Another idea is to deploy U.S. Navy ships to break the Russian blockade of Odessa, which has deprived the world of Ukrainian grain. But Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed out that this option could lead to direct combat with Russia.

"Right now, the sea lanes are blocked by mines and the Russian navy," he said Tuesday. "It would be a high-risk military operation that would require significant levels of effort."

But the concept of "high risk" doesn't register with inveterate hawks who think every problem can be solved by the application of America's armed might — a theory decisively refuted in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places.

Such disasters instilled in Biden a healthy skepticism about military intervention. But that skepticism has also moved him to look for alternatives in dealing with foreign crises.

As it has from the start, his administration is trying to ensure that Ukraine can stave off the Russian invasion — without provoking Putin to escalate and without embroiling the U.S. in the war.

Biden hasn't tried to dictate what Zelensky should aspire to achieve or what he should be willing to accept. In an op-ed in Wednesday's New York Times, he said he "will not pressure the Ukrainian government — in private or public — to make any territorial concessions."

At the same time, he's made it plain that the U.S. commitment has strict limits. Biden's op-ed didn't fantasize about a complete victory that would evict Russia from every inch of Ukrainian soil. His goal, he wrote, is to help Ukraine achieve "the strongest possible position at the negotiating table." Left unspoken is that any negotiations are bound to require territorial concessions.

Biden's administration has adopted a variety of stern measures to punish and weaken Putin and deter him from broader aggression, most recently signing a package of military, economic and humanitarian aid costing $40 billion.

Biden moved 12,000 troops into NATO countries bordering on Russia, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Romania. He welcomed the request from Sweden and Finland to join the alliance.

He imposed a ban on Russian oil and gas imports — a step that prodded the European Union, which is far more dependent on them, to approve its own ban.

He adopted severe economic sanctions to deprive Russia of the money to fight the war. The decision led a host of big Western corporations, from McDonald's to Apple to ExxonMobil, to stop doing business in Russia. All this has been a marvel of Western cooperation and resolve.

It has also had tangible results. Russian exports and imports have plunged. Inflation hit nearly 18% in April. The Russian army has found itself repeatedly stopped or pushed back, and as many as 15,000 of its soldiers have been killed.

Biden understood the importance of responding forcefully to an unprovoked act of aggression. But he also knows that pushing too far can lead to disaster.

Follow Steve Chapman on Twitter @SteveChapman13 or at https://www.facebook.com/stevechapman13. To find out more about Steve Chapman and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Lawmakers Propose ‘Gun Violence Restraining Order’ In Wake Of Isla Vista Shootings

Lawmakers Propose ‘Gun Violence Restraining Order’ In Wake Of Isla Vista Shootings

By Patrick McGreevy and Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shocked by the weekend’s mass killings near the University of California, Santa Barbara, state lawmakers on Tuesday proposed a new way to temporarily prevent potentially violent individuals from buying or owning guns.

Legislators also advanced dozens of unrelated bills, including one that would largely repeal a voter-approved ban on bilingual education in California, a proposed requirement that condoms be worn by actors in pornographic films and a bill that would allow lawmakers to be suspended without pay for misconduct.

The new firearms bill would create a “gun violence restraining order,” using the same process employed for restraining orders in cases of domestic violence.

If notified by a subject’s family or friends that someone could harm himself or others, law enforcement officers would be able to petition a judge to grant a restraining order that could prohibit possession or purchase of a gun.

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, a Democrat, said last weekend’s Isla Vista rampage illustrated gaps in the state’s gun and mental health laws. The family of Elliot Rodger, the shooter, had raised concerns with law enforcement about his mental state, and Santa Barbara sheriff’s deputies visited Rodger at his apartment in April but took no action against him.

“Here we had a situation where a mother was aware that her son was a danger to himself and others. She tried to intervene,” Skinner said.

Sam Paredes, executive director of the Gun Owners of California, called the proposal (AB 1014) offered by multiple lawmakers including Skinner, a “knee-jerk reaction.”

California already has a system to prevent mentally ill people from obtaining weapons, he noted: an involuntary psychiatric detention known as a “5150.”

Separately, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat, said he would propose expanding the protocol and training provided to law enforcement officers to help them identify potentially dangerous individuals.

Later in the day, the Senate approved a bill that would ask California voters to rescind parts of the state’s ban on bilingual education, with supporters saying that children in other countries are successfully learning multiple languages.

The upper house voted in favor of putting a measure on the ballot in November 2016 that would repeal major parts of a 1998 law approved by voters that requires schools to teach in English.

“Children who participate in multilingual programs not only outperform their peers, they also have higher earning potential when they enter the workforce,” said Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara, author of the bill (SB 1174). It now goes to the Assembly.

The bill divided Republicans, eight of whom, including Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber, voted against it. Nielsen said the risk of bilingual education is “putting children out who are functionally illiterate in two languages.”

The Senate also voted to ask Californians in November of this year to approve a constitutional amendment giving each legislative house the power, on a two-thirds vote, to suspend a member without pay for misconduct.

The measure is in response to criminal charges filed against Democratic Sens. Roderick Wright, Ronald Calderon and Leland Yee, who have been suspended with pay.

In the Assembly, members approved a measure that would require condoms to be used in all adult films produced in California.

Democratic Assemblyman Isadore Hall III, the measure’s author, said he sought to bring workplace safety standards to the adult film industry.

“A minimum level of safety in the workplace should not be negotiated,” Hall said on the Assembly floor.

The measure, opposed by the industry, would also require performers to be tested for sexually transmitted infections no more than 14 days before filming.

GOP Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, the only lawmaker to speak against the bill on the floor, said he worried about its ramifications.

Noting that the bill (AB 1576) could affect independent contractors in the industry, Donnelly said he believed “the implications of whatever is passed in this bill will be felt by every other small business owner in the state of California.”

Elvert Barnes via Flickr