Friends and Enemies
And how not to treat them
Friends and Enemies, ©2025 William L. Brown.
Among the appointments with my Congress-members on Capitol Hill in early April, I had an unscheduled meeting with the coronavirus. I thought I was reacting to pollen, but no, it was Covid.
That’s why there was no Native Cpeaker article last week and why this one is short. The text is just an excuse to post the drawings, anyway. And the one above says all that needs saying this week.
NH-District 2 Representative Maggie Goodlander at her town-hall meeting, Keene, NH, Febrary 28, 2025. Photo: William L. Brown.
I do want to mention one of my Congress-members. Representative Maggie Goodlander met our Ukrainian Action Summit delegation in person! It is far more common to meet with staff-members as members don’t have time to meet every visitor as well as vote, attend committee meetings, hearings, and so forth. When the representative meets constituents face-to-face, it is an honor and an indication of the importance they place on the constituent’s issue.
Representative Goodlander recently co-sponsored one of the two resolutions we asked her to support. H.R. 2118 would allow Ukrainian refugees to stay in the US for the duration of the war. These refugees are here legally under the U4U program that admitted 271,000 Ukrainians displaced by the war.
It’s not a large number. Europe admitted millions. Yet, it’s too many for the Trump administration, which with it’s characteristic cruelty, sent a letter April 6 to all those under “parole” (the term the program uses to avoid using the words “visa” or “temporary asylum”) telling them they had one week to leave the US.
Within hours they said it had been sent by error. An error to send it perhaps, but someone wrote it out, ready to send. Cruelty to write it. Cruelty to send it by “error.”
The resolution Goodlander co-sponsored would prevent their parole being revoked. If you are a New Hampshire constituent, please take a moment to thank the representative by phone or email. If you live elsewhere, please s urge your Congress members to support The Protecting Our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act, H.R. 2118 in the House, S. 696 in the Senate.
The other resolution the Ukraine Action Summit supports right now is a sanctions measure. If the Trump administration continues to appease Russia at every turn, this resolution provides the muscle required for the “peace through strength,” that Trump promised but has failed to deliver.
It calls for strong sanctions against Russia if they don’t negotiate for peace, or if they violate agreements. It is H.R. 2548 in the House and S. 1241 in the Senate.
What Children?, ©2025 William L. Brown.
One of the most pressing issues is abducted children. Russia has an estimated 20,000-30,000 Ukrainian children taken from battle- and occupied areas. They are being held in reeducation camps, or (with names and documents changed) put up for adoption. Their identities as Ukrainian are being erased by indoctrination or intimidation.
Once again, I recommend reading Ekaterina’s War Diary for a good sense of day-to-day living in Ukraine. Ekaterina, a language teacher with a background in archeology, is located in Dnipro, Ukraine.
Good article Bill. Hope you're feeling better.