President Biden’s “regime change” remark rightfully earned him rebuke from many quarters. It was gasoline on the fire. But it doesn’t follow that progressive minded people should have any hesitation to express their solidarity with the people and organizations in Russian society, whose goal is to “remove” Putin and his dictatorial regime from power.

Some would like to reduce the current war in Ukraine to no more than a great power struggle in which the Ukrainian people in their life and death struggle against Russian invaders are no more than a subset – not to be ignored, but by no means central to this world shaking drama. This downsizing of the struggle of the Ukrainian people against an imperial neighbor is despicable, not worthy of anyone who calls themselves in internationalist.

Here’s one example of this phenomenon, courtesy of a news publication, which distinguished itself over decades for its working class partisanship and internationalism. But you would never know it from this article that reduces President Zelensky to nothing more than an avaricious clown, bedecked in one or another costume depending on circumstances and doing the bidding for oligarchs and western imperialism.

In the meantime, Putin’s Russia is mounting a brutal offensive in eastern Ukraine and Zelensky in his capacity as president is rallying his country and the world to resist and defeat Putin military offensive. About this not a word from this putative working class, anti-imperialist, and socialist publication.

I can’t imagine any of the earlier iterations of this publication over the past half century striking such a posture. Shameful!

I’m watching the first games of NBA playoffs. What stands out isn’t just the athleticism of the players, but also the skill level that is over the top. The latter is a product of sweated labor – or, said differently, constant repetition – by these young men practicing and improving their craft.

What also goes unappreciated because of the dazzle of their offensive theatrics is their defensive tenacity. This too is a skill that requires a relentless commitment to this dimension of the game and intelligence, borne out of experience.