If you’re going to protest today. If you’re stepping into the streets, please know this:
Ukraine is with you. In spirit. In soul. In defiance.
You carry me with you.
You carry Ukraine with you.
You carry every person who cannot march but still refuses to kneel.
Please know that I am holding this line with you.
This freedom line.
Even if it would be the last line I ever get to hold, I would still hold it with you.
And no one knows if this will be the last project I will ever create.
The last fight I will ever join.
But if it’s about freedom, it’s worth holding. It’s worth fighting.
Go peacefully.
Go firmly.
Go strong.
But don’t let your anger take you.
Let your clarity lead you.
I am writing this from Ukraine.
From a country where democracy is under siege every single hour.
Where we live not day by day, but minute by minute, between missiles and sirens, between blackouts and prayer.
And even from here, I see what’s happening in the United States.
The rise of authoritarianism. The rise of totalitarianism.
I am so worried about the USA.
So worried about my friends in the U.S. About the state of your democracy.
I’ve watched the images, I’ve read the reports, and it’s impossible not to feel horror.
Universities raided, protesters and senators arrested, journalists silenced, marines sent to your own streets, the National Guard called not for peace, but for power
You are told to be quiet. Told to stay home.
Told to trust the ones who are holding the baton and the shield.
But I know what this is.
Because we’ve lived it.
We're fighting the same war.
Ukrainian soldiers in trenches. American students facing arrest. Same enemy. Same stakes. Same fight for human dignity.
The missile that kills a Ukrainian grandmother and the tear gas that blinds an American protester come from the same arsenal of oppression.
I'm watching two nightmares unfold simultaneously.
Ukraine getting bombed by a fascist who claims to fight fascism. America getting destroyed by authoritarians who wrap themselves in the flag.
Same playbook. Different languages. Identical outcome if we let them win.
And I'm not staying quiet about it.
This is The Freedom Line.
A second journal, running parallel to War, Love and Survival in Ukraine that you already know.
Not to replace it, but to speak more directly to you.
To the people rising up in America. To those who feel something slipping away.
To those who recognize that democracy does not defend itself.
To connect the dots. To build bridges between resistance movements. To remind you that you're not alone.
This journal is for you. For us.
For anyone who still believes freedom is sacred.
Because the future of Ukraine is no longer decided only in Ukraine.
It’s being decided in every American street.
Where someone refuses to look away and chooses to stand up and risks being arrested just to speak.
This is a space to share strategies between freedom fighters. To connect struggles across borders. To Expose the same tactics being used everywhere.
To remind you that resistance is not radical: it's necessary.
You're not just fighting for America. You're fighting for the world. You're fighting for Ukraine.
You're fighting for every person who believes in dignity over power.
So friends, this is The Freedom Line.
It will always be free. No paywalls here.
Please subscribe to be the first to read every time some words come into light here.
You can also support it with a paid subscription, as many of you generously do in my other journal, but you don’t have to. Just being there matters more than I can explain.
It’s all about keeping something alive.
So let the world hear you.
Let history hear you.
Let your children hear you one day and know you stood.
Because I see you.
From Ukraine.
And I stood with you.
—Viktor
🇺🇦🇺🇸
I am soon to be 75 years young…. & a Veteran Navy RN , having served during the Vietnam war.
Myself and other friends in our Sr. Living community, have made signs…. Have, & are continuing to peacefully demonstrate again today, for our Democracy, & the governing for which it represents & stands for.
Many of us remember & perhaps demonstrated during the Vietnam era demonstrations.
As an RN who took care of the amputees & related injuries, returning from the Vietnam War;
I personally know of the devastation that comes with war .
I deeply desire that my country avoid yet another time of war… which during these difficult times, could easily evolve into a reliving of civil war.
My friends and I will be out peacefully demonstrating, today & in the future as the need arises.
I encourage any of you that can make your concerns & desire to continue living in a democratically governed country, albeit not a ‘perfect union’… today reflect on the vision of a future you want to see for yourselves of course; but perhaps even more importantly, for that vision which will be passed on to the upcoming generations, & needs to be given to each other, our families… & all of the children, right now.
This will include not just those living in our (once) United States of America; but also will have a lasting impact on the other countries of our world, & on how we will move forward in caring for this beautiful planet, that we have been so blessed to be inhabiting.
Thank you for taking some time to mindfully, & thoughtfully consider, what you want to see our future become, & perhaps also, what actions you might take to protect & nurture that vision.🙏🏻💟
I'm sharing this. I know people who are going to be protesting today. And people who may be afraid to protest. Every voice that speaks in solidarity may help someone else find the courage and hope they need. Thank you for reminding us that the world is watching, standing up with them, praying for their safety.