This Fourth of July, my eyes are on Ukraine where people are bleeding and dying for their freedom.
I was horrified to see Russia choose to kill its neighbors this spring. I was disheartened that experts predicted a quick Russian victory. In that darkest moment, as Ukraine’s leaders faced death, the United States offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky an escape route.
Remember President Zelinsky’s reply?
“The fight is here. I need ammunition. Not a ride.”
The leader of a besieged people was saying “hell no” to a merciless bully. His Ukrainian resolve was a terrible and beautiful moment to witness. It was a moment that resonated with many Americans because our own nation’s fight for independence was a fight against tyranny.
This Fourth of July, I believe that Ukrainian defiance reminds us that our own nation shines most brightly when our leaders have courage. America shines when we stand up to bullies. In our best moments, America inspires people who fight oppression. In our best moments, we make tyrants abandon bloody adventures into sovereign lands.
This Fourth of July, I celebrate the courage it takes to fight for freedom.
Today, the United States is not repelling a foreign invader but our freedom is under attack. When the Supreme Court revoked a woman’s right to control her body, our freedoms stepped backwards 50 years.
This Fourth of July, I celebrate the courage it will take to get our freedom back.
In the first grim days of war, the New York Times published a letter written by Andriy Yermak, an aide to Zelensky. As he wrote, the man was with Zelensky. I was moved by Mr. Yermak’s plea:
“Every day brings the possibility that our words may be our final ones. So let them be a plea for support for a free Ukraine.”
This Fourth of July, I am thinking about the courage it took for Mr. Yermak and Mr. Zelensky, and all of the Ukrainian people, to stand up and fight–as free people must when threatened by tyrants. I am thinking about how America needs these kinds of courageous leaders today.
This Fourth of July, I offer my support to Ukraine. And, to my fellow Idahoans, I declare the fight is here and that when it comes to our freedom: WE WILL NOT GO BACK.