mirror of https://github.com/gdamore/tcell.git
Add note for Russian people with respect to invasion of Ukraine.
This commit is contained in:
parent
0d961d2608
commit
8b074c48d6
|
@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
|
|||
|
||||
# ![Tcell](logos/tcell.png)
|
||||
|
||||
Please see [here](UKRAINE.md) for an important message for the people of Russia.
|
||||
|
||||
_Tcell_ is a _Go_ package that provides a cell based view for text terminals, like _XTerm_.
|
||||
It was inspired by _termbox_, but includes many additional improvements.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
|
|||
# Ukraine, Russia, and a World Tragedy
|
||||
|
||||
## A message to those inside Russia
|
||||
|
||||
### Written March 4, 2022.
|
||||
|
||||
It is with a very heavy heart that I write this. I am normally opposed to the use of open source
|
||||
projects to communicate political positions or advocate for things outside the immediate relevancy
|
||||
to that project.
|
||||
|
||||
However, the events occurring in Ukraine, and specifically the unprecedented invasion of Ukraine by
|
||||
Russian forces operating under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin compel me to speak out.
|
||||
|
||||
Those who know me, know that I have family, friends, and colleagues in Russia, and Ukraine both. My closest friends
|
||||
have historically been Russian friends my wife's hometown of Chelyabinsk. I myself have in the past
|
||||
frequently traveled to Russia, and indeed operated a software development firm with offices in St. Petersburg.
|
||||
I had a special kinship with Russia and its people.
|
||||
|
||||
I say "had", because I fear that the actions of Putin, and the massive disinformation campaign that his regime
|
||||
has waged inside Russia, mean that it's likely that I won't see those friends again. At present, I'm not sure
|
||||
my wife will see her own mother again. We no longer feel it's safe for either of us to return Russia given
|
||||
actions taken by the regime to crack down on those who express disagreement.
|
||||
|
||||
Russian citizens are being led to believe it is acting purely defensively, and that only legitimate military
|
||||
targets are being targeted, and that all the information we have received in the West are fakes.
|
||||
|
||||
I am confident that nothing could be further from the truth.
|
||||
|
||||
This has caused many in Russia, including people whom I respect and believe to be smarter than this, to
|
||||
stand by Putin, and endorse his actions. The claim is that the entirety of NATO is operating at the behest
|
||||
of the USA, and that the entirety of Europe was poised to attack Russia. While this is clearly absurd to those
|
||||
of us with any understanding of western politics, Russian citizens are being fed this lie, and believing it.
|
||||
|
||||
If you're reading this from inside Russia -- YOU are the person that I hope this message reaches. Your
|
||||
government is LYING to you. Of course, all governments lie all the time. But consider this. Almost the
|
||||
entire world has condemned the invasion of Ukraine as criminal, and has applied sanctions. Even countries
|
||||
which have poor relations with the US sanctioning Russia, as well as nations which historically have remained
|
||||
neutral. (Famously neutral -- even during World War II, Switzerland has acted to apply sanctions in
|
||||
concert with the rest of the world.)
|
||||
|
||||
Ask yourself, why does Putin fear a free press so much, if what he says is true? Why the crack-downs on
|
||||
children expressing only a desire for peace with Ukraine? Why would the entire world unified against him,
|
||||
if Putin was in the right? Why would the only countries that stood with Russia against
|
||||
the UN resolution to condemn these acts as crimes be Belarus, North Korea, and Syria? Even countries normally
|
||||
allied to Russia could not bring themselves to do more than abstain from the vote to condemn it.
|
||||
|
||||
To be clear, I do not claim that the actions taken by the West or by the Ukrainian government were completely
|
||||
blameless. On the contrary, I understand that Western media is biased, and the truth is rarely exactly
|
||||
as reported. I believe that there is a kernel of truth in the claims of fascists and ultra-nationalist
|
||||
militias operating in Ukraine and specifically Donbas. However, I am also equally certain that Putin's
|
||||
response is out of proportion, and that concerns about such militias are principally just a pretext to justify
|
||||
an invasion.
|
||||
|
||||
Europe is at war, unlike we've seen in my lifetime. The world is more divided, and closer to nuclear holocaust
|
||||
than it has been since the Cold War. And that is 100% the fault of Putin.
|
||||
|
||||
While Putin remains in power, there cannot really be any way for Russian international relations to return
|
||||
to normal. Putin has set your country on a path to return to the Cold War, likely because he fancies himself
|
||||
to be a new Stalin. However, unlike the Soviet Union, the Russian economy does not have the wherewithal to
|
||||
stand on its own, and the invasion of Ukraine has fully ensured that Russia will not find any friends anywhere
|
||||
else in Europe, and probably few places in Asia.
|
||||
|
||||
The *only* paths forward for Russia are either a Russia without Putin (and those who would support his agenda),
|
||||
or a complete breakdown of Russian prosperity, likely followed by the increasing international conflict that will
|
||||
be the natural escalation from a country that is isolated and impoverished. Those of us observing from the West are
|
||||
gravely concerned, because we cannot see any end to this madness that does not result in nuclear conflict,
|
||||
unless from within.
|
||||
|
||||
In the meantime, the worst prices will be paid for by innocents in Ukraine, and by young Russian mean
|
||||
forced to carry out the orders of Putin's corrupt regime.
|
||||
|
||||
And *that* is why I write this -- to appeal to those within Russia to open your eyes, and think with
|
||||
your minds. It is right and proper to be proud of your country and its rich heritage. But it is also
|
||||
right and proper to look for ways to save it from the ruinous path that its current leadership has set it upon,
|
||||
and to recognize when that leadership is no longer acting in interest of the country or its people.
|
||||
|
||||
- Garrett D'Amore, March 4, 2022
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue