Keeping up with world politics can be demoralizing. On the news I saw the clip of Vladimir Putin congratulating Donald Trump. Putin said that finally we can put an end to the killing in Ukraine. I’m not proud of the way I screamed at the television, but really, the man who started the war in Ukraine says that our incoming president can stop the killing he started! Apparently, he has reason to believe that the incoming president will give him what he wants.

I can see why people choose to stay uninformed for their own mental health, but not staying informed can be even more dangerous.

“We can finally quit sending them so much money,” she said.

We are not sending money to them. We are sending military equipment. A good deal of that federal money is coming here to Oklahoma, to the McAlester Army Ammunition Depot.

I tried to explain that Europe didn’t respond when Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia, and when he didn’t stop there, World War II had begun. A world war costs way more than helping one democratic country defend itself, not only in money, but in lives.

And if Putin gets what he wants, he won’t stop there. He already has Trump’s pal, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, on board.

It’s good to have friends. It’s even better to have allies. How are our NATO allies feeling right now? If Putin invades Poland, will Trump take us out of NATO? If World War III begins, will we be on the wrong side? Is Putin the real winner of this election?

My only hope is that legislators and military leaders will abide by their oaths to the Constitution, not follow the whims of a wannabe autocrat. I’m sad for America. I’m sad for our allies.

It may be hard to deal with the situation, but now is not the time to stop paying attention.