I see this problem with Putin and Ukraine being as potentially as bad as the Cuban Missile Crisis

 Most folks today don't remember this because they were not born yet. However, let me share what the Cuban Missile Crisis was like:

The Cuban Missile Crisis was 1962 (about one year before Kennedy was assassinated).

My father was working for one of the Dupont Heiresses doing some electrical work and I was helping him. I remember the young woman (maybe late 20s or early 30) shaking visibly and saying she was going to her summer cabin in the Sierras because she didn't know if Los Angeles was going to still be there when she came back (if she came back).

After we saw her off in her car all loaded up I was likely 14 years old then after we had tried to reassure this obviously completely distraught younger woman I asked my Dad if Los Angeles would be here when she came back (if she came back).

His response was typical World War II talk which was: "That's bullshit! Nothing is going to happen. The Russians will back down. We are not going to nuclear war!"

And that was the end of that discussion (at least as far as my father was concerned).

So, at 14 I was trying to weigh the shaking of the Dupont heir and my father's reaction which was all bluster and I wondered what the actual truth of the situation actually was? 

It was not a good time for anyone!

This could also turn into something like that too because of Putin.

Remember, when Crimea was invaded by Russia in 2014 Putin gave no warning. The fact that he is giving warning now instead of just invading means he wants something instead of invading. This is my hope.

The problem might be that the U.S. and Ukraine and Eastern And Western Europe might not give Putin what he actually wants. Then he might feel forced to invade Ukraine just to save face among his people.

Then all hell could break loose worldwide if people aren't very very careful!

People think "Oh. This couldn't really happen!"

Well. Having lived through the Bay of pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis and the reaction which was the Assassination of President Kennedy I beg to differ!

Unless you were there and saw how bad and how insane the 1960s got you have no idea how bad this could get.