(#5072) Zelenskyy and his speech

      The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, yesterday spoke in front of a bipartisan, bicameral gathering in the House of Representatives last evening. For me it was emotional as I have been a fierce advocate of his since his first run ins with the disgraced ex American president trump. Since then he has only done more to raise my esteem for him. He is an inspiration to all the civilized world for his representation of the spirit of Ukrainian defiance in the face of overwhelming invasive Russian atrocities. He was speaking to the world from that forum last night in our nation's capital. There was no mincing of words in letting us know that the horror of reality today rests on the shoulders of putin.
     In doing so he evoked our own struggle for independence and defense of democracy throughout the last 246 years. President Zelenskyy reminded us last night of our victory at Saratoga, New York in 1777 in the Revolutionary War and how that one battle turned the tide toward American democracy. Then he reminded us of the 1944 Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, and how that epic defense in the Ardennes Forest during a very cold winter turned back the last attempt by hitler to win World War II. Like what Ukraine is doing now in the cold winter fighting in and around the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk (Oblast=region). The parallel is eerily similar and with that similarity President Zelenskyy drove home the bond that both our nations share.
     For those of us who are a bit OCD it was somewhat hard listening to a man speak in a less than perfect English language. but as it is not his native tongue he will be excused for any minor errors. Because the gist of his speech was its power. The defense of democracy against the cruelty of a tyrant. These themes are not new to we Americans and resonate with clarity. Our own history of having fought and dying for them, even on foreign soils, is well documented. President Zelenskyy was able to highlight the courage of the Ukrainian people during this most atrocious time while also pleading with us to continue helping them stave off the murderous putin. He also thanked us for what we have already done. A balanced speech of heroic accomplishments that we both share.