A Great Speech, A Great Moment In Our Time

 On December 22, 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a moving and powerful speech to the the United States Congress, and to the citizens of the United States of America.  I found this act to be one of considerable bravery, as he has been targeted by Russia for assassination since February of this year. That it was a timed event, politically, I have no doubt, as the visit to the United States and the speech before the joint session of Congress came as Congress is debating additional funding for the Ukrainian defense against Russia. Admitting the above, it was still an incredible event; President Zelenskyy has not been out of Ukraine in the 300-plus days of this war. 

And it is a war, no matter how Russian Federation President Putin wants to frame it as a "special military operation." It is a war against an independent nation, a nation the Russian Federation had recognized formally by signing the Budapest Memorandum on December 5, 1994 along with the United States and the United Kingdom. The Memorandum specifically prohibits the Russian Federation, The United States, and the United Kingdom from using military force or economic coercion against the three "break-away" republics-Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. 

I was reminded, listening to President Zelesnkyy's speech, of other great wartime speeches I have read. Certainly President Roosevelt's speech to Congress on December 8, 1941, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill's speech to Parliament on June 4, 1940 were excellent examples of the power of well-written speeches to lift up and empower people in times of great darkness. For the citizens of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy's speech certainly should have much the same effect. 

The majority of the congressmen in attendance at the speech were generous with their applause and shouts of affirmation, as they well should be. Should we fail to assist Ukraine in defeating the Russian menace now, America will be dragged into a large devastating war that will sap our citizens, our financial institutions and our very way of life. 

Senator Ben Sasse, R-NE, provided a response that, frankly, sums up what I believe should be the response of every member of Congress:

"President Zelensky just addressed the congress and the United States. Every mom and dad with discretion for the little ones should watch that video with their families. Everyone knows who President Zelensky is. Everyone knows who Putin is. He believes in murdering women and children. What Zelensky asked Congress to do is whether we have the courage of our conviction. Ukrainian freedom fighters need to win. We do not need them to lose more slowly. To win, they need to kill Russians. To kill Russians they need more weapons. The burden of proof should be on us, on why we do not supply everything they need. They need more ammo, they need more stingers, they need more airplanes. They need more of everything and they're fighting not just for their kids and their future, they are fighting for the free world. Zelensky has the courage of his conviction. The question asked the U.S. Government is do we have the courage of ours. "

Sadly, seven members of Congress chose to remain seated through most of the speech, even as the vast majority were giving President Zelenskyy standing ovations. Those seven member are: Lauren Boebert (R-CO) Michael Cloud (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA) Warren Davidson (R-OH), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Dianne Harshbarger (R-TN), and Jim Jordan (R-OH).  These seven did stand for ovations during the final parts of the speech. I hope their constituents remember their actions from this event and vote accordingly in the 2024 elections. 

Thank you for your time, and remember, your thoughts and comments are always welcome. Just click on the pencil in the white box below to send a comment. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman