We should do all that we can to assist the Ukrainian people. I also hope that we can admire them for their courage in refusing to surrender their desire to have the freedoms they have developed in recent years.
And we have witnessed a true leader in their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a former actor and comedian, who has remained in Ukraine to lead the battle against forces of evil.
We live in the greatest country ever created. I often think we take too many of our freedoms for granted.
We have the right to disagree with fellow citizens without being disagreeable.In recent years, we seem to have failed to fully appreciate this fact.
We have our problems. The U.S. never has been, and never will be, a perfect country. Our forefathers, imperfect as they were, provided us with a Constitution that has been the foundation of our democracy.
We have thousands of people trying to get into our country. Those unhappy here are free to leave.
I frequently express my thoughts and views in the free press. Some disagree with me. That’s great. That’s how it should be. I don’t think any of us fear being rounded up and thrown in jail by secret police.
Vladimir Putin greatly underestimated the spirit of the Ukrainian people, who are simply fighting for what we have. I hope we can learn a valuable lesson from these valiant people and not give up what we have here with internal conflicts.
Let’s calmly express concerns and work for what we think should be created or accomplished.
To repeat: Let’s disagree without being disagreeable.
Sanderson M. Smith, Ed.D.
Retired math teacher (Cate School, Santa Barbara City College)
Carpinteria
