Most of my grandparents were from Ukraine...
when it was "The Ukraine," part of the Soviet Union.
Grandma Pauline was from Teplik. Grandma Annie and Grandpa Doc were from somewhere near a place called “bear shit,” Grandma Annie giggled a little when she told my brother that.
Grandpa Louis was from Slutsk (near Minsk) in Byelorussia.
So I guess I’m part Ukrainian. Also, President Zelenskyy is Jewish, and so am I, and so were my grandparents. And that picture above kind of looks like the state of Kansas, where I have been living for about 26 years. But it’s in Ukraine.
But more than that, the sense of a world united against Russian nuclear aggression — the sense that the world was safe for all of us because of NATO and other treaties… that sense of security is gone.
Witnessing President Zelenskyy being bullied by… yes, bullied. They would not let him speak on his own behalf. They just accuse accuse accuse, with no intention of hearing what President Zelenskyy had to say.
I peeked* at an article in Politico, saying Zelenskyy should have flattered Trump… but how? How could flattery get him what he wants for his country? Ukrainians would see him flattering and lying.
Can you flatter someone AND tell the truth at the same time? I don’t know!
*I truly did not read the entire article. Just peeked. If someone else has read it and wants to talk more about this, please add a comment. Thank you.
Anyway, that’s where I am right now. Please leave a comment, tap the little heart if you liked the post, and share it.
Another thing I like about President Zelenskyy is that his last name begins with the letter Z!!!!
This is from 2 years ago at Yankee Stadium, the season opener against the Boston Red Sox:
I was ashamed to be an American when i saw how T and V gave him a relentless public shaming...far beyond mere bullying. Altho i can't claim Ukraine ancestry or citizenship, i am proud to stand with those who can.