Nearly 25 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe is still struggling to recover from decades of communism. Most members of the former Eastern Bloc nations are fledgling democracies and, as such, face problems related to the rule of law. Some have taken greater strides in implementing democratic reforms than others, but change is occurring.
Most of Eastern Europe went from Nazi occupation to Soviet occupation within the space of one decade. After WWII, authoritarian communist regimes cracked down on the people of Eastern Europe for nearly three decades. Considering the political, economic and cultural devastation inflicted on Eastern Europe, many of these countries’ resiliency—their determination for freedom and liberty—is truly inspiring. What it is not is a joke.
That’s why it is so upsetting to see a local news reporter, King 5’s Eric Wilkinson, treat Russia’s ongoing aggression toward Ukraine like a joke. Wilkinson recently tweeted,
Once Wilkinson was called out on his Facebook feed for the nonsensical attack on Sarah Palin – and general insensitivity towards the people under Russian assault in Ukraine, he removed the post.
However, he can’t remove his liberal bias as easily.
During the 2012 presidential campaign, Barack Obama mocked Mitt Romney’s correct assessment of Russia saying, “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.” Reporters received Obama’s joke with general applause.
Well, today more than 1,000 Russian troops—the largest force thus far— joined pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reports that Russian forces have taken a coastal city and several villages near the Ukraine-Russia border. Ukraine, citing Russian invasion, has once again asked the West to respond. President Obama continues to do nothing.
Yet, local news reporters like Wilkinson respond to this dire situation by taking cheap shots at Sarah Palin—someone who holds no political office—for a remark she made six years ago. Wilkinson should publically apologize, not just delete his original post, and remember that it was Obama who has made the much larger mistake of refusing to recognize Russia as a geo-political foe.
