I wrote the following message at 3:00 in the morning after watching the shameful attack by our President and Vice President on really the entire people of Ukraine and all that they are fighting to defend. The immature school-yard bully attack used an accusation of ingratitude as its primary taunt, completely unfairly since the people and leadership of Ukraine have expressed enormous gratitude countless times. The attack was really about much more sinister and shameful things, including an attempt to justify our President’s aligning with Russia. Still, this needs to be said:

Thank you, Ukraine!

If anyone should be thanking anyone,
we should be thanking you, over and over.

We have fought together a tyrant and war criminal.
We have fought together to defend the principles:
that no nation be allowed to invade another nation;
that no nation be allowed to destroy the infrastructure
and systems and resources needed
for another people to survive;
that no nation be allowed to undermine
the freedom and democracy
and self-determination of another sovereign nation.

We should be thanking you
for being our partner in that fight.
We should be thanking you because while we gave
only a tiny percentage of what we easily could spare,
you are giving your all.
Your lives are being lost by the tens of thousands,
not ours.
Your homes are being bombed every day,
not ours.
Your power plants, hospitals, schools, churches,
sources of food and water and economic survival
are being destroyed,
not ours.
Your children are being kidnapped and taken
by the invaders to their country and brainwashed,
not ours.
Your women are being raped by invading soldiers,
not ours.
We have suffered no pain, you have suffered
and continue to suffer enormous pain.

We owe you our compassion, honor and gratitude.
We are humbled by your heroism.

The time for saying thank you, though,
is when we have won.
Partners in a common struggle show their thanks
by standing together and giving what is required.
But since you are being dishonored
and bullied and exploited,
please know that the decent people of our country
honor and thank you every day,
and are horrified by what is being done to you,
and are horrified that anyone would shamefully join
the war criminal tyrant’s side
and abandon you, or try to take advantage of you
while you are fighting for your life,
or betray the principles on which the peace
and survival of all nations depend.

You have our unwavering, heart-aching support,
and we will do all we can to restore our nation
to its rightful place at your side.