It’s 12:15 on Sunday night and I’ve needed to write something different.  Please forgive me for any grammar mistakes.

I generally try to stay away from politics, but regular visitors to this site know that I have touched upon issues threatening our democracy during our recent darkest hours.  Now Ukraine, a sovereign democratic nation, still in its infancy, is fighting for it survival against Russia and its autocratic dictator Vladimir Putin. None of this should be a surprise. What else should not be a surprise is that Putin has received the support of his sycophant and autocrat wannabe Donald Trump, along with a number of what used to be the Republican Party.  Sad and pathetic!

It’s hard to write about photography, something so dear to my heart, when a proud democratic nation is fighting for its life while Trump and those that kiss his ring are heaping praise upon a ruthless fascist thug.  Of course, these are the same people that have been and continue to work to undermine the democracy of our own nation.

I shutter to think what the current situation would be here in the United States and in Europe had Joe Biden not won the 2020 election. But even with his victory the dark forces that would take away our democratic freedoms are still hard at work at home, while the individual many of them admire so much is directing the Russian march across Ukraine.

What Putin didn’t count on was the resolve of Ukraine’s people not to give up and the decision of America and its allies to stand together. Now that the world has seen Putin’s atrocities, those in the US that supported him and his actions should be judged accordingly.

My prayers and best wishes are with brave people of Ukraine, and those that are working to save our own democracy.

I look forward to discussing photography again next time.

Stay safe,

Michael