Three hundred days ago, Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a new assault into Ukraine, where his troops had been fighting since 2014. Apparently, he expected that a new strike would bring a quick victory that would enable him to break away the eastern regions of Ukraine and annex them to Russia with a puppet government in place, expanding his territory and power.
Forevermore, when he was offered the chance to evacuate from his country, President Zelenskyy will be remembered for saying, "The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride." With those words he set the tone for the world to admire, encourage and respect the will and efforts of the Ukrainian people to remain free. 300 days of war!
Every morning when I turn on the hot water in my kitchen, in the shower, and otherwise go on with my mundane life, I think of the endurance and bravery of the Ukrainians. I am grateful that the US will continue to send them aid.
Yesterday, I continued plowing through the Executive Summary of the January 6 Committee Report.
And then, early this morning my time here in Germany, I watched President Zelensky, just hours from the battlefields of Ukraine, speak to the US Congress.
The tragic irony of that courageous defender of Democracy speaking in the building that so recently witnessed an insurrection crafted and executed by a sitting US President with the aid of some of the men and women in that very room, was stark.
The snarky grin on the face of Matt Gaetz, whose image was in the frame as Zelensky left the building, was infuriating. Ukraine may be without electricity, but it is the brightest light in the sky at the moment, while ours flickers to maintain its flame.
I was driving, listening to his speech on KQED in full. It was so thrilling to hear the roar of applause before he spoke. It was lengthy , loud and I could hear his humble response “‘this is too much”. And then he spoke IN ENGLISH so we would hear him directly, not through a translator. I loved his simple sentences that perfectly expressed why we are there and why they are so brave. I was alone in the car, imagining their ordinary people struggling to be free, surviving in the shells of their homes this winter, asking us for more help to save their democracy, their lives. How could we not? We barely escaped our own demise this last election! I burst out crying, so thankful for this President who also spoke to the country, asking us ALL to vote to save our democracy and the rights of all of our people. And we did. Leaders like these deserve standing ovations.
The most intelligent and interesting I know listened tonight in awe, eyes full of tears.
President Zelenskyy addressed our congress tonight, he spoke to every American household, and to the people of the world - tonight. He is a skilled orator, speaking in English, his third language.
Our congress roared its approval, rising to clap again and again, from a long applause to greet the president, before he said a word, to countless show stopping applause to punctuate every single pause. The drama of president Zelenskyy‘s speech was beyond compare. He may be the most popular person on the planet. And it is clear, president Zelenskyy isn’t going anywhere. He and his people intend to win. We will now progress. Our domestic tranquility will return, and we shall overcome.  To watch President Zelenskyy tonight was like going to theater to listen to the words of the best playwright. President Zelenskyy is an incredible speaker. He is also an incredible politician.
Thankful for the fact that Ukraine has such a courageous leader. But also thankful for President Biden I do not want even want to think of what could have been if the election had turned out differently. Ukraine would not have gotten any support putin on the other hand would have through our inaction.
Fortunately both nations have the right leaders for this time in history
We needed a leader like Volodymyr Zelensky to show us what real courage looks like—courage to defend democracy no matter the sacrifice. And it’s a form of justice that among Zelensky's audience were cowards—cowards who in the same historic room sought to overturn our democracy. I hope but doubt they felt shame in their heart of hearts.
Only 86 Republicans showed up for Zelensky's speech, and 20 of them were there to oppose him, not standing when others did, generally showing disrespect. At least Boobert and Marjorie Traitor Goon didn't heckle him. The Goon wasn't there, after tweeting earlier that foreign aid was like the American people being raped every day by their "leaders."
Nice to be reminded which party is the Party of Traitors.
Look, I'm one of them peaceniks. The amount of money we pour into the Pentagon each year to be poured down the drain on projects inefficient and/or destructive is something I continually oppose as a citizen, especially when you consider the resistance that any appreciable spending on any social program receives.
But I'm not a pure pacifist, because unfortunately evil still exists, and sometimes evil comes to your doorstep, and evil usually has no problem spending its time making the most advanced tank it can, so as best to destroy you with. So boy will you be glad when you remember you have an even bigger one.
The Ukrainian people have had evil in the form of bloodthirsty authoritarianism visited upon them unasked. A dictator wishes to subsume their nation and culture, just recently freed, to fulfill nothing more than his own ego, destroying the international rules that governed a century of increasing stability in the process. They are shouldering the entire defense of not just their home, enduring unspeakable crimes in areas that just a year ago were as comfortable as your house or mine, but also shouldering the symbolic weight of the conflict between democracy and autocracy made real. Many are doing this with their bodies and their families bodies, while we the *very very concerned* sit at home an ocean away eating more gingerbread before bed.
GIVE THEM WHATEVER THEY ASK FOR. For as long as they need it. Until they win unequivocally. God knows we have spent ungodly sums to have this weaponry. If our ally can't use it now for this cause, when should they ever be used? Never.
I love that Zelensky said, "The Russians will stand a chance to be free only when they defeat the Kremlin in their minds." It's so important to also include the Russians in this global UNITED fight against the Kremlin. ❤
My neighbors/friends are from Ukraine. They came here many years ago and built a terrific life including an MD for him and a small business for her. Bc of them we have met other Ukrainians here in SoCal. Bc of them we hear details about the Kiev bombings, the frigid apartment in which her 90+ yo father and his wife reside (the doors of which are often behind journalists reporting from that city) and we hear of the resolute nature of their friends and family who gratefully unpack our group donations of coats and socks and hats and gloves. They layer these as they prepare for even colder months, determined but aware of the desperation of the situation - as are we.
And we - our friends’ friends - feel a bit impotent. If it’s a waiting game... a “last man standing” game... am I the only one who wants to change games?
Thank you, Professor Richardson, for featuring Ukraine President Zelensky’s Historic speech here in Washington D.C. today. And thank you, President Biden, for recommitting the U.S. to the NATO alliance and knowing the importance of our cooperation with free world Democracies to protect Ukraine and fight against fascist Putin. And to protect the United States and the world’s Democracies. Zelensky “… described Ukraine’s defense as a battle between democracy and authoritarianism across the globe, and assured Americans, “Your money is not charity. It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” HIllary Clinton called the speech extraordinary. https://apple.news/A3jrTYVWORo2FRs_bLSyglQ
Until 2022 most of us had only briefly heard of Ukrainian President Zelensky because of the Trump/Giuliani effort to withhold American aid to Ukraine until Zelensky agreed to target Hunter Biden in an effort to smear Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential campaign. [First impeachment of President Trump]
Now Zelensky has just met President Biden at the White House and addressed a joint session of Congress. He has been named Man of the Year by Time magazine and Ukraine has been named Country of the Year by The Economist.
Seldom in my lifetime has one man made such a dramatic difference. On the negative side, there are such people as Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Putin. The positive side includes FDR, Churchill, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and, most recently, President Zelensky.
There was little in his background to suggest that he would become an international hero. His earlier claim to fame included being a comedian and having won a dance contest.
However, when Putin threatened and then invaded Ukraine, Zelensky emerged with extraordinary courage and with a Churchillian voice. He survived several Putin-orchestrated assassination attempts. In the days just after February 24th, President Zelensky indicated that he likely would be captured and/or killed at any moment.
President Zelensky daily became the image of Ukrainian courage and resistance in response to Putin’s ‘special military operation.’ He provided the spark that lit the fire of NATO support fanned by President Biden. Zelensky has been and continues to be the symbol for those brave Ukrainians who have sacrificed so much to protect Ukrainian sovereignty and to resist Putin’s brutal calumny.
We all owe President Zelensky our profound gratitude for putting his life on the line to protect his country AND the sovereignty of other countries adjacent to Putin’s Russia.
Next time you are asked whether one person can make a difference in our lives or our world, respond PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.
All I can say is than goodness for Volodymyr Zelensky and the backbone he has shown us and the world at a time when things seemed so dark. He knows where he will probably stand when his country’s history is written but that isn’t important to him. What is important is that a history of his country, Ukraine, will be written at all. The same goes for the Ukrainian people. Courage and love of country is being seen by us this time. I hope the turn coats here will see the error of their ways sooner rather than later. They have disgraced us enough already.
Ukraine's situation now is the American situation at Valley Forge. If we would have helped those soldiers then, we should help Ukrainian soldiers now. They are fighting the battle which we fought. As we won with French help, they can win with our help and NATO's and EU's.
Forevermore, when he was offered the chance to evacuate from his country, President Zelenskyy will be remembered for saying, "The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride." With those words he set the tone for the world to admire, encourage and respect the will and efforts of the Ukrainian people to remain free. 300 days of war!
Every morning when I turn on the hot water in my kitchen, in the shower, and otherwise go on with my mundane life, I think of the endurance and bravery of the Ukrainians. I am grateful that the US will continue to send them aid.
That was quite the speech. We must continue to support Ukraine. Shame on the Republican punks who were disrespectful.
Yesterday, I continued plowing through the Executive Summary of the January 6 Committee Report.
And then, early this morning my time here in Germany, I watched President Zelensky, just hours from the battlefields of Ukraine, speak to the US Congress.
The tragic irony of that courageous defender of Democracy speaking in the building that so recently witnessed an insurrection crafted and executed by a sitting US President with the aid of some of the men and women in that very room, was stark.
The snarky grin on the face of Matt Gaetz, whose image was in the frame as Zelensky left the building, was infuriating. Ukraine may be without electricity, but it is the brightest light in the sky at the moment, while ours flickers to maintain its flame.
I was driving, listening to his speech on KQED in full. It was so thrilling to hear the roar of applause before he spoke. It was lengthy , loud and I could hear his humble response “‘this is too much”. And then he spoke IN ENGLISH so we would hear him directly, not through a translator. I loved his simple sentences that perfectly expressed why we are there and why they are so brave. I was alone in the car, imagining their ordinary people struggling to be free, surviving in the shells of their homes this winter, asking us for more help to save their democracy, their lives. How could we not? We barely escaped our own demise this last election! I burst out crying, so thankful for this President who also spoke to the country, asking us ALL to vote to save our democracy and the rights of all of our people. And we did. Leaders like these deserve standing ovations.
The most intelligent and interesting I know listened tonight in awe, eyes full of tears.
President Zelenskyy addressed our congress tonight, he spoke to every American household, and to the people of the world - tonight. He is a skilled orator, speaking in English, his third language.
Our congress roared its approval, rising to clap again and again, from a long applause to greet the president, before he said a word, to countless show stopping applause to punctuate every single pause. The drama of president Zelenskyy‘s speech was beyond compare. He may be the most popular person on the planet. And it is clear, president Zelenskyy isn’t going anywhere. He and his people intend to win. We will now progress. Our domestic tranquility will return, and we shall overcome.  To watch President Zelenskyy tonight was like going to theater to listen to the words of the best playwright. President Zelenskyy is an incredible speaker. He is also an incredible politician.
Thankful for the fact that Ukraine has such a courageous leader. But also thankful for President Biden I do not want even want to think of what could have been if the election had turned out differently. Ukraine would not have gotten any support putin on the other hand would have through our inaction.
Fortunately both nations have the right leaders for this time in history
As good a use of my tax money as I can imagine! 😻
We needed a leader like Volodymyr Zelensky to show us what real courage looks like—courage to defend democracy no matter the sacrifice. And it’s a form of justice that among Zelensky's audience were cowards—cowards who in the same historic room sought to overturn our democracy. I hope but doubt they felt shame in their heart of hearts.
Only 86 Republicans showed up for Zelensky's speech, and 20 of them were there to oppose him, not standing when others did, generally showing disrespect. At least Boobert and Marjorie Traitor Goon didn't heckle him. The Goon wasn't there, after tweeting earlier that foreign aid was like the American people being raped every day by their "leaders."
Nice to be reminded which party is the Party of Traitors.
Look, I'm one of them peaceniks. The amount of money we pour into the Pentagon each year to be poured down the drain on projects inefficient and/or destructive is something I continually oppose as a citizen, especially when you consider the resistance that any appreciable spending on any social program receives.
But I'm not a pure pacifist, because unfortunately evil still exists, and sometimes evil comes to your doorstep, and evil usually has no problem spending its time making the most advanced tank it can, so as best to destroy you with. So boy will you be glad when you remember you have an even bigger one.
The Ukrainian people have had evil in the form of bloodthirsty authoritarianism visited upon them unasked. A dictator wishes to subsume their nation and culture, just recently freed, to fulfill nothing more than his own ego, destroying the international rules that governed a century of increasing stability in the process. They are shouldering the entire defense of not just their home, enduring unspeakable crimes in areas that just a year ago were as comfortable as your house or mine, but also shouldering the symbolic weight of the conflict between democracy and autocracy made real. Many are doing this with their bodies and their families bodies, while we the *very very concerned* sit at home an ocean away eating more gingerbread before bed.
GIVE THEM WHATEVER THEY ASK FOR. For as long as they need it. Until they win unequivocally. God knows we have spent ungodly sums to have this weaponry. If our ally can't use it now for this cause, when should they ever be used? Never.
I love that Zelensky said, "The Russians will stand a chance to be free only when they defeat the Kremlin in their minds." It's so important to also include the Russians in this global UNITED fight against the Kremlin. ❤
My neighbors/friends are from Ukraine. They came here many years ago and built a terrific life including an MD for him and a small business for her. Bc of them we have met other Ukrainians here in SoCal. Bc of them we hear details about the Kiev bombings, the frigid apartment in which her 90+ yo father and his wife reside (the doors of which are often behind journalists reporting from that city) and we hear of the resolute nature of their friends and family who gratefully unpack our group donations of coats and socks and hats and gloves. They layer these as they prepare for even colder months, determined but aware of the desperation of the situation - as are we.
And we - our friends’ friends - feel a bit impotent. If it’s a waiting game... a “last man standing” game... am I the only one who wants to change games?
Thank you, Professor Richardson, for featuring Ukraine President Zelensky’s Historic speech here in Washington D.C. today. And thank you, President Biden, for recommitting the U.S. to the NATO alliance and knowing the importance of our cooperation with free world Democracies to protect Ukraine and fight against fascist Putin. And to protect the United States and the world’s Democracies. Zelensky “… described Ukraine’s defense as a battle between democracy and authoritarianism across the globe, and assured Americans, “Your money is not charity. It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.” HIllary Clinton called the speech extraordinary. https://apple.news/A3jrTYVWORo2FRs_bLSyglQ
Until 2022 most of us had only briefly heard of Ukrainian President Zelensky because of the Trump/Giuliani effort to withhold American aid to Ukraine until Zelensky agreed to target Hunter Biden in an effort to smear Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential campaign. [First impeachment of President Trump]
Now Zelensky has just met President Biden at the White House and addressed a joint session of Congress. He has been named Man of the Year by Time magazine and Ukraine has been named Country of the Year by The Economist.
Seldom in my lifetime has one man made such a dramatic difference. On the negative side, there are such people as Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Putin. The positive side includes FDR, Churchill, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and, most recently, President Zelensky.
There was little in his background to suggest that he would become an international hero. His earlier claim to fame included being a comedian and having won a dance contest.
However, when Putin threatened and then invaded Ukraine, Zelensky emerged with extraordinary courage and with a Churchillian voice. He survived several Putin-orchestrated assassination attempts. In the days just after February 24th, President Zelensky indicated that he likely would be captured and/or killed at any moment.
President Zelensky daily became the image of Ukrainian courage and resistance in response to Putin’s ‘special military operation.’ He provided the spark that lit the fire of NATO support fanned by President Biden. Zelensky has been and continues to be the symbol for those brave Ukrainians who have sacrificed so much to protect Ukrainian sovereignty and to resist Putin’s brutal calumny.
We all owe President Zelensky our profound gratitude for putting his life on the line to protect his country AND the sovereignty of other countries adjacent to Putin’s Russia.
Next time you are asked whether one person can make a difference in our lives or our world, respond PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.
All I can say is than goodness for Volodymyr Zelensky and the backbone he has shown us and the world at a time when things seemed so dark. He knows where he will probably stand when his country’s history is written but that isn’t important to him. What is important is that a history of his country, Ukraine, will be written at all. The same goes for the Ukrainian people. Courage and love of country is being seen by us this time. I hope the turn coats here will see the error of their ways sooner rather than later. They have disgraced us enough already.
Ukraine's situation now is the American situation at Valley Forge. If we would have helped those soldiers then, we should help Ukrainian soldiers now. They are fighting the battle which we fought. As we won with French help, they can win with our help and NATO's and EU's.