Jeff Fuhrman is an independent writer and international tax director. He has degrees in Russian and Law, and more than 30 years of experience working with the countries of the former Soviet Union. He lives in Cherokee with his husband and their dog Harambe. He encourages readers to listen to Sergiy Sysuev’s song “With Ukraine in My Heart” while reading this essay.
Twelve years ago, I had the privilege of taking my mother to see where her grandparents lived in Europe in the 1800s. Back then it was an untamed territory on the southern edge of the Russian Empire. After it was conquered, the Russian Emperors invited people later known as “Black Sea Germans” to populate and farm the lands.
My mom’s family migrated from Prussia to the new lands (now part of Ukraine and Transdnestria, north of Odesa) and brought their religion and way of life with them. They farmed sunflowers, wheat, and grapes—the same crops you see today in the Dakotas, where they emigrated to, bravely, in the 1870s. St. Paul’s (Lutheran) Cathedral in Odesa is still standing.
Part of the trip involved us driving across Ukraine, from Kyiv to Odesa, on our own. I would challenge anyone who has ever been to the American Great Plains to distinguish between the landscapes of Ukraine and the Dakotas. Fields of amber wheat and golden sunflowers stretch as far as the eye can see; an endless big blue sky floats above you like it does west of Bismarck facing Montana. It is stunningly beautiful.
View of the road to Odesa, which looks like the Dakotas
Friends I met through work at a large multinational helped me organize the trip. They are earnest, honest, and caring people, who helped me bring that dream together for Mom. I still feel great loyalty to them. They ensured Mom saw the real, actual places where her family had farmed. We even saw the land plat maps and drank wine from the same fields. Mom has the “A” word now and will likely lose those memories soon. But I will forever endeavor to be loyal to those friends.
The author’s mother in Kyiv in 2012
One friend I made while working in Ukraine was Sergiy Sysuev, the writer and performer of the song linked above, “With Ukraine in My Heart.” He’s easily one of the most talented people I’ve ever met: a multilingual singer/songwriter, entertainer, and lawyer steeped in international business. And he’s damn persuasive—Obi Wan has nothing on this guy.
The word repeated in the chorus of this song, “Mriї” (sounds like Marie without the ‘a’), is Ukrainian for “dream.” Not like ‘a’ dream, the noun. But like a verb, a command: Dream!
Sergiy Sysuev urges listeners to dream near the end of his music video for “With Ukraine in My Heart”
Sergiy and I have traded messages since the Russians invaded the Donbas a couple years ago. Ukraine needs our help to fulfill the dream. Now.
So, I write this letter in the best way I know, and specifically address it to my friends who vote “on policy, not personality”: Please vote against the GOP in national elections this November.
The GOP’s platform points on Ukraine are bad policy. We should reject them. Serious people with good hearts should consider these reasons why:
1. Ukrainians are good people who deserve the help.
A couple years after the 2012 trip, we welcomed a coworker’s family before they did a cross-country tour of the U.S. They spent a couple days with us in Milwaukee first. We grilled out. Their daughter did the “Ice Bucket” challenge on social media. We taught their (teenaged) son to drive here. They brought little bronze “flying pig” tchotchkes for Mom and hugged her like she was their own.
In many ways, we face the same challenges in the Midwest that they do in Ukraine. The idea that there are Nazis hiding away or running the government in Ukraine is absurd nonsense.
2. Many North Americans have roots in Ukraine.
You can see ethnic Ukrainians and Black Sea Germans all over the upper plains of the Midwest: Nebraska, the Dakotas, even into parts of Canada. Watch the comedy show “Letterkenny” sometime. You’ll see Ukrainian maps and flags in the background. While that’s Canada, these are the same people who populated the Dakotas after Custer’s Last Stand in 1876. Talk about brave. If you grew up in the rural Midwest, odds are good that these are your people. Don’t let them down.
3. Ukraine’s homeland was invaded.
Anyone who remembers the lessons of the French or the U.S. in Vietnam, or the English or the Soviets in Afghanistan, knows that armies defending their “home turf” don’t just roll over. It’s their homeland, and nothing short of expulsion of the invaders is going to end the fighting.
I’ve seen World War II memorials there with my own eyes—monuments dedicated to the Resistance Fighters (Sappers) who sabotaged the Nazis. These are not snowflakes. A second term for President Donald Trump, who seems to have allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin, will not magically cause this war to end. Full stop. It would be foolish to think otherwise.
4. This is about keeping our word.
In the 1990s, led by Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, the U.S. brokered deals that destroyed leftover nuclear weapons in the former Soviet republics. The idea was to reduce the risk that terrorists or failed states like North Korea could get their hands on “loose nukes.” For the good of the world, Ukraine gave up their own nuclear weapons, even though they could have been a key defense against Russian aggression.
At the time, we told Ukraine they shouldn’t fear Russia invading and threatening nuclear war. We promised we would protect them. I can tell you from personal experience, from conversations I have had with business friends all over the world, that Trump’s waffling on our commitment makes us look unreliable, and unworthy of trust. To Ukraine and to the rest of the world. Our integrity depends on us keeping this promise.
You don’t want the U.S. to be the world’s policeman, you say? This isn’t about policing an ordinary conflict. Try being the world’s wimp, reneging on our commitments, and see where that gets us. “FAFO,” as they say.
We have a duty to help Ukraine free their homeland. Please prayerfully consider this before you vote in November.