We are at War with Russia

First off, respects and thank you to the people of Ukraine who are fighting this war for all of us.

We are in an existential war with Russia. It is a battle between freedom & democracy on one side and authoritarianism & kleptocracy on the other. (And yes we face the same battle internally between the Democrats and the ascendant authoritarian wing of the Republicans.)

First off, we need to make it clear we understand that this is a war for the future of the Human Race. If we don't acknowledge that we are in this existential fight, then we can't win. If we aren't clear as to what we are trying to achieve, then we have no idea what constitutes winning the war.

And critical to this, if we explain why we need to fight, the people will support the fight. And will accept the costs they bear to succeed. Whereas if we don't explain it, then the people will lose interest. And will not accept the costs.

Second, we can't send in troops on the ground, or in the air. Nuclear weapons precludes that. But we can do most everything up to that step. And limitations like this are not new. In the Korean War we never attacked China and China never attacked Japan.

So here are some things I think we should consider:

1. The war is against Russia and Belarus.
2. We sanction everyone who is sucking money out via their connections at the top. The sanction list should be 1,000 people or more. And sanction means they find every bit of wealth of theirs, and sell it quickly saving the proceeds for Ukraine. The fast sale means they realize their properties, companies, etc. are gone. They are not being held to be returned when this is over.
   1. As part of this, force through the detailed financial reporting required to find hidden wealth. If necessary, make it a 1 year program that applies to wealth from Russia/Belarus only (so the rest of the uber wealthy don't fight it).
3. Tell Ukraine they can join the E.U. once the war is over and they are free. Yes there are a lot of requirements where Ukraine comes up short - but they more than make up for it by fighting & dying for all of Europe. That should be sufficient for membership. And would be a tremendous way of saying thank you.
4. Invite Finland, Sweden, Moldova, & Austria to join NATO. One of (the only?) major reasons they have held back is the threat of Russia invading while they negotiated joining. Well Russia is too busy right now to make a credible threat.
5. Like Privateers 200 years ago, tell hackers that any action they take against Russian or Belarusian entities will not be prosecuted. If they can suck money out of their banks, install ransomware on their computers, or just bring down systems for the joy of vandalism - that there will be no investigation, no prosecution, no penalty.
6. Give Moldova & Georgia offensive weapons and point out that with Russia busy, this is a good time to recover their breakaway regions. But make it clear that we will not join them, it's on them to accomplish it.
7. Keep sending them weapons, ammunition, & supplies.
8. Institute a crash program to quadruple the rate of installing renewables and approving nuclear plants. That doesn't help tomorrow, but it can make a big difference in 4 - 6 years. Removing the need for Russian oil & gas is the long term full solution. And accelerating it now incurs pressure - that their economic clout will soon evaporate.