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One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: On April Fools’ Day, the joke is on us

Apr 1, 2022 | 4:27 AM

VLADIMIR PUTIN IS an honest man. April Fools’.

April Fools’ has often been a time for the media to play jokes on unsuspecting listeners, viewers and readers.

Friends playing jokes on friends. That’s fallen off in recent years.

Today, though, it seems to be making a big comeback.

The success of an April Fools’ joke is that it is crafted in such a way that it is believable. My opening statement wouldn’t make a good joke because few people in the world would believe it. Or would they?

Putin continues to make us think he’s killing people for the right reasons. And we continue to believe that, once he reaches his goals in Ukraine, he will stop. That’s wishful thinking. He’s not going to stop unless the rest of the world stands up to this butcher.

We’re worried he is crazy enough to push the button. And he is. But when do we say, “enough is enough?” When do we call his bluff?

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in the fall of 1962, U.S. President Kennedy called Nikita Khrushchev’s bluff and forced the Russian leader to turn his ships around and take home his missiles bound for deployment in Cuba.

But in that situation, the Russian move was precipitated by the deployment of American missiles in Turkey and Syria. Subsequent negotiations resulted in a peaceful ending.

I’m not so confident about such a peaceful ending here.

Putin talks about negotiations but as he says that he continues to strike at civilian targets, killing innocent people, including women and children. He’s even targeting nuclear facilities. How indicative is that of his motives?

This is a land grab, pure and simple. And Putin will not grant any concessions unless he gets the precious land he wants to further his aims.

If we listen to what he is saying, instead of watching what he is doing, the joke really is on us.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion

Doug Collins has had a wide background in the broadcast industry, having done virtually every type of news and sports broadcasting, including news anchor, sports play-by-play, and editorialist. His “One Man’s Opinion” aired on TV from 1973- 2013. He retired from his management roles in the station in October, 2018, but continues to write his column. Doug’s wife, Sue, has been his strength for more than 47 years, and they spend much of their free time with their six grandchildren.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.