| I know you have noticed, but democracy and our way of life is being challenged at home and abroad. But these challenges are rarely clearly understood in the moment for what they really are, and rarely met before they spiral out of control.
Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine is a crisis for the good people of Ukraine, a young and imperfect (as if ours is perfect) democracy in the heart of Eastern Europe. Putin is bombing civilians in Ukraine, and it will get worse. Ordinary citizens in Ukraine, people just like you and me, people who were only last week at their jobs in restaurants, as nurses, as accountants and factory workers, are now taking up weapons to defend their democracy and their freedom from the full might of the Russian army.
And that is reason enough to act with urgency. But Putin’s war has now also placed a terrible threat at the doorstop of democracy everywhere. This is a crisis about Ukraine, yes, but it is also a crisis that goes far beyond Ukraine, with implications for all freedom-loving peoples. In the last two decades, Putin has invaded Georgia, supported war in Moldova, and invaded Ukraine. He now has Belarus under his thumb. He is putting the Soviet Union back together again. And dictators everywhere are watching to see how we respond.
But you are not powerless. What can you do?
1. Make your voice heard. Participate in the rally tomorrow at noon at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. I will be there. The media will be there. I ask you to come as well.
2. Donate. Below is a non-exhaustive list provided to me by a former high-ranking State Department employee who lives in Kyiv of how you can directly send money to help Ukrainian soldiers and citizens defend themselves, and to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine.
3. Write the White House, Congressman Salud Carbajal, and Senators Feinstein and Padilla. Ask them to immediately increase support for Ukraine. Considering what we provide some authoritarian allies, we can certainly do more to urgently help Ukraine, which is a democracy under threat.
Come Back Alive Foundation supports the Ukrainian military. They supply and repair equipment, train the military and officers, and curb the flow of propaganda and disinformation.
Voices of Children addresses the psychological effect of armed conflict on children. Founded in 2015 in response to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Voices of Children provides art therapy, mobile psychologists, and individualized support to traumatized children. Individuals can donate through bank transfer, credit/debit card, or Apple Pay or via voices.org.ua/en/donat.
The International Rescue Committee has a long history of providing resources to refugees fleeing countries facing humanitarian crisis. Its leaders have responded to the situation in Ukraine by meeting with organizations in Poland and Ukraine to provide whatever assistance is needed. You can make a donation via its website. While the organization will accept donations of any size, it states on the site that a monthly donation of $108 will provide eight families with temporary shelter.
CARE is an international humanitarian organization that has set up an emergency Ukrainian Crisis Fund with the goal of providing immediate support for 4 million people. |
