I don't know about you but Ukraine has been in my mind constantly for the past week and a half. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amazes me, really. I think the rest of the world thought he'd just throw up his hands and let Putin waltz in and take over. He has shown what leadership and bravery can do. The Ukrainian people are no doubt inspired by him, and the rest of the world is in turn inspired by the conviction of the Ukrainian people. Step back and think about it for a minute. Zelenskyy, like Trump, came into office as a non-politician, with no experience running a country, not even close. Perhaps Putin put too much stock in thinking they, Zelenskyy and Trump, would be alike. That is to say, in Trump's case, a coward. Trump famously got a deferment from the draft by having a doctor write a note that said he had "bone spurs" in his foot. He didn't have the guts to even claim to be a conscientious objector, move out of the country or refuse to register for the draft altogether. He had daddy pay a doctor to make it go away. Can you imagine him in Zelenskyy's position a week ago? Russia would be trampling all over him before he finished trying to point the blame at someone else. Nope, the two are not alike, not in the least.
When the shit started to hit the fan, the U.S. offered to fly Zelenskyy out. Zelenskyy responded, "I don't need a ride, I need ammunition." For the past week, Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people have consistently shown their mettle and resolve and it is inspiring. In the first few days, for whatever reason, a song by the Pretenders came to mind, but not their version. It was one done by a school choir at a school in New York. The teacher that leads the chorus posted a bunch of videos of his student singing various songs several years ago and they got a lot of attention. While just about every one I've watched has tugged at the ol' heart strings (kids feeling the music does that to me), the cover of the Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You" almost brought me to tears. For a few reasons. One is the teacher who has inspired these kids. The second is the kids themselves who are really into it. The one thing that really gets me is the song itself. Though I was familiar with the Pretenders' version, I guess I never really listened to it. In the hands of the PS22 Chorus, it becomes an all time classic, part of the American Songbook. It's that good, lyrics, tempo, key change, the whole package. Chrissy Hinde wrote a simple direct classic that could be heard as a love song, a friend song, an anti-bullying song or, as I heard it this week, a song of support. Zelenskyy is the man. Fuck Putin.
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