Arnold delivers strong message with a weak link

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nine-minute message to Russian people, soldiers and President Putin counters Russian state-controlled propaganda that invasion of Ukraine was to root out Russian-hated Nazis. Not so, states German-born Schwarzenegger. “As a long time friend of the Russian people,” he speaks up to criticize Russian leadership, citing Ukraine’s Jewish president, his three Jewish uncles who were murdered by Nazis and 11 million Russians living in Ukraine. He cites 141-4 U.N. votes claiming Russia was the aggressor resulting in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. He challenges Putin: “You started this war; you are leading this war; you can stop this war.”

While strong, Schwarzenegger’s controversial assumption is referencing our own U.S. Jan. 6 protests as “attempted insurrection.” I disagree. Despite suppression of videos, available evidence indicates this was mostly a free speech protest debased by a relative few. Over a year protesters were not even tried for claimed treason. One was killed, an unarmed female military veteran shot by a Capitol police officer, still uncharged. Schwarzenegger’s negative citation of U.S. protest against the alleged “unfair” 2020 election overlooks U.S. government injustice of pretrial detainment and weakens his message to courageous Russian protesters. Would that Sen. Mitt Romney’s recent slanderous attack on patriotic U.S. veteran Tulsi Gabbard’s concern over U.S. biolabs in Ukraine as treason, lies and “parroting Russian propaganda” be held to the same free speech standard as popular applause for Russian protests.

Tim Bickel

Cedar Rapids