Welcome to our letters to the editor/opinion section. To submit yours for consideration, please send to matthewplafever@gmail.com. Please consider including an image to be used–either a photograph of you or something applicable to the letter. However, an image is not necessary for publication. This letter was sent to us by Mary Rose Kaczorowski, a Mendocino County Coast writer and reporter.
Remember opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of MendoFever nor have we checked the letters for accuracy.
My heritage as a first-generation Polish-American is steeped in the region of Ukraine now under attack. My father was a refuge from the catastrophe of the Nazi (Hitler)-Russian (Stalin) Pact invasion of 1939. My father’s whole side of the family (my grandparents, uncles aunts, cousins) disappeared and was murdered by the Stalin Regime. My father escaped and then was captured by the Nazis and became part of their system of slave labor and to make a long story short and sparing you some horrific details, he was liberated by the British as the Nazis were marching him and others to Holland.
This is very personal to me.
I saw the following post on Twitter: Please copy and paste and share on your Facebook and twitter posts:
”I have no problem paying for higher gas prices, because of Russian sanctions, in order to stand with the people of Ukraine.
Please respond with a heart ‘❤️ ‘ emoji if you feel the same way too. #StandWithUkriane”
On Twitter see #StandWithUkriane, #StopRussianAggression
The yearning for freedom and democracy in Ukraine will not go away, despite Fox News’s Tucker Carlson’s inane insistence that Ukraine is not a democracy.(see: https://news.yahoo.com/eve-war-tucker-carlson-defended-025451248.html)
I have no words that can describe how disgusted I was when Trump embraced dictators like Putin and others. Trump and the GOP have so divided Americans against each other— plus add to that the mix of conspiracy theories and then add on the dismissing of the attempted January 6 coup attempt.
I am sad for Ukraine and for USA; for the USA because simplistic vicious rhetoric has led this country astray and a divided a nation against itself and that serves no one. I hope many Americans will wake up to this.
Will the American public continue to be swayed by online social media and right-wing talk show trolls and their misinformation that aims to divide us?
In scanning Twitter and Facebook this morning many are wondering how sitting members of the Republican Party have been played by Putin and via Trump’s love for and defense of Putin (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/world/europe/trump-putin-russia-ukraine.html). I have asked again and again will the American public continue to fall to trolls and misinformation that aims to divide us.
Can we understand how history frames this moment?
Ukrainians under fire: from the BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/dqwtziap8e/ukrainians-under-fire
How to Help Ukraine ?
From Global Citizen:
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-to-help-ukraine-conflict/
Walnut Creek’s Polish School to hold fundraiser supporting Ukrainian refugees; here’s how to help
As a stream of people are fleeing Ukraine to neighboring Poland, the Polish School in Walnut Creek is finding ways to support those refugees, including a fundraiser this weekend. Here’s how you can help. – https://abc7news.com/russia-ukraine-conflict-poland-walnut-creek-polish-school/11601573/ Donations to aid those in crisis can be made on the Nova Ukraine website.
The U.S. private nonprofit Project Dynamo is helping evacuate Americans out of Ukraine as Russia launches attacks in the country. The organization’s co-founder, Bryan Stern, discusses the first bus of evacuees they are working to get out of the country.
MoveOn is partnering with United Help Ukraine, an organization that distributes donations, food, and medical supplies to those injured in the war, their families, and those in need of temporary aid as they flee for safety.
Here are some links to keep abreast of the situation in Ukraine:
ABC News live updates
AP’s Russia-Ukraine news hub
BBC https://www.bbc.com/
CBS News live updates
CNN’s live coverage and analysis
The Ecologist https://theecologist.org/2022/feb/25/chernobyl-now-war-zone
The New York Times’ Ukraine-Russia news coverage
NBC News live updates
Radio Free Europe Ukraine https://www.rferl.org/Ukraine
Reuters In pictures: Russia invades Ukraine
The Washington Post Russia’s attack on Ukraine
The Financial Times is providing key Ukraine coverage free to read to keep everyone informed as events unfold
Bellingcat Investigation Teams Documenting and Debunking Dubious Footage from Ukraine’s Frontlines.
Thank you for posting this. I myself was just wondering how I could help the Ukrainian refugees fleeing this war. Also as a Christian (who does not identify with the letter writer’s description of “right wing”) am praying for The Ukraine/Russia situation and all the potential innocent casualties. I am also learning that Russia is part of “end times” prophecy in the Bible’s book of Ezekiel, among others. Gog and Magog. You can google that, if you wish. I hope you do. Please pray for America as well. A house divided against itself cannot stand and while we are all fighting each other we cannot clearly see the bigger picture. That, my brethren, is the desired result of the “powers” that “be”. All this global unrest is a giant smokescreen to distract us from what’s really taking place behind the scenes in both physical and spiritual realms. Jesus Christ will return to Earth, just like the Holy Bible says. Most will not be ready, because of their unbelief. Pray to God for discernment.
I said with the citizens of Ukraine but I do not stand with the Ukrainian citizens who are participating in the US bio weapons Labs that Russia is eradicating right now.
I also don’t like how the media continues to blame Friendly Fire incidents on Russia aggression. Multiple videos have been released of ukrainians accidentally killing their own people and then it gets blamed on Russia.
There have been so many media lies regarding what’s going on such as the alleged “ghost of Kiev” and the attacks on citizen homes, which all ended up being footage from the video game Arma 3.
And on top of all of this while everyone has been distracted by the Ukraine stuff going on, many states in the United States have passed laws regarding digital ID and digital vax pass requirements without any type of vote from the General Public.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2022/02/24/national-vaccine-quietly-rolled-out/
Everyone is being distracted while our liberties and rights are being Stripped Away while everyone cares some shit going on on the other side of the planet.
Geez Rick…did you read the article? Smh…
Nah i don’t read blatant propaganda meant to scare or pull on your heart strings.
Do you know you are being manipulated? Probably not. Most do not. That’s how Stockholm Syndrome works.
“It’s much easier to fool a man, than convince him that he has been fooled.”
Lol…pot kettle 🙂
Thank you for posting your hared for fellow Americans in the name of the disaster ongoing in the Ukraine. Americans are united in their support of the Ukrainian people. You apparently have little knowledge of that, and even less concerning the parade of politicians in this country who precipitated this to happen. March 2014. Do you know what happened to the Crimea on that date? Do you know who was president and vice president then?
Please provide a quote where the author stated hatred for fellow Americans.
Check your mirror
This post is disgusting. Absolute garbage. Using the situation in Ukraine to smear and slander your political enemies is lower than low. So sad to see so many people buying into the idea that the “blue team” is so much more righteous and noble than the red team. More and more divisive rhetoric. The idea that one political party is more to blame for any problems that we face is laughable. It doesn’t matter who is driving the car, the destination remains the same. If you haven’t figured this out by now, you are part of the problem. Look at all the “news” sources that are recommended to “keep abreast of the situation”. What a joke. The mainstream weapon of mass distraction and propaganda is currently in over-drive. Don’t expect to get any real accurate info from any of those sites. For anybody at this point to think they are getting the strait truth about what is really going on in Ukraine, time for a reality check.
I couldn’t agree more. I sit here somewhere in the middle watching the left and right claim that it is the other “side” that is to blame for all of the division while slinging hatred and vitriol to further the gap. Neither group has any self awareness, nor do they seem to grasp that these elites and politicians all eat together at the same fancy restaurants and party together at Martha’s Vineyards. To quote George Carlin “It’s a great big club and we ain’t in it.” We all have that in common anyway…
Yup piss poor foreign policy for the last 3 decades from both groups of bozos!!
I’ll just leave this 8 year old video as we transition from ‘Safe & Effective’ to hashtags and emojis.
https://youtu.be/fWkfpGCAAuw
At least the Ukrainian forces actually are a real deterrent to Russia. Afghanistan forces were less trained and feared after 20 years of training!! Ukrainian people are the heroes Afghanistan couldn’t produce.
Tucker Carlson and the t-Rump should take a trip over there to see first hand what there “hero” Putin is doing.
war is like a divorce. two sides to every story.
money and power are the grease that make the war machine roll.
this will push Russia and China together and the dollar will fail like the German Mark did in 1930’s