I’ve seen posts on social media that claim standing with Ukraine is standing against the United States.  This allegation is so false that it barely qualifies as ridiculous.

When I stand with Ukraine I stand with Democracy.

When I stand with Ukraine I stand with the millions who fought and died to end Nazism  and Fascism.  I stand as one who is fighting against their comeback.  I stand with the people I was lucky enough to have known, one who went ashore on Utah Beach on D-Day, another who fought in the Ardennes in what we know as the Battle of the Bulge.

When I stand with Ukraine I stand with the American workers who build the weapons and weapons system being used in Ukraine’s defense. It is a lie that we are sending cash payments that are being stolen.  We are sending Bradley fighting vehicles built by American workers using American steel.  We are sending Patriot missile batteries built by an American company.  I stand with the American workers that we are paying to produce the arsenal that is being used to defend democracy.

When I stand with Ukraine I stand with those who fought to end the enslavement of people stolen from Africa.

When I stand with Ukraine I stand with Martin, with Ralph, with Mickey, with John, with Rosa, with Fannie Mae, with Viola, with James, with Malcolm, with Medgar, with Vernon, with Nelson and so many more who fought, and often died, standing up for basic human rights.

When  I stand with Ukraine I stand against a brutal dictator who will kill anyone, sacrifice his own people to fulfill his personal greed.

When I stand with Ukraine I stand against an American president who is undermining the values our country was built on, who is trying to end democracy.  I stand against a president who often uses the same words that others spoke, words that lead to Kristallnacht and ultimately to death camps.

When I stand with Ukraine I’m proud to know that I’m not standing alone.

Slava Ukraini

The Ugliness is the Hope.

Resist. Persist. Oppose. Propose. Be the opposition with a proposition.

Be the Pebble