Наступного року в Києві: Independence Day In Ukraine

I don’t usually write for this site on the weekends; I was working on the irrigation in the garden (because I do in fact take my own advice).

So this isn’t being posted on Ukraine’s actual Independence Day, which was yesterday.

But a big “happy birthday” to Ukraine; hopefully someday soon you’ll have your independence unencumbered and can be happy about it.

By all accounts, Zelensky’s speech went down well, though I dislike speeches in general so it didn’t do much for me. I must admit that the transcript definitely has some good zingers in it.

I particularly liked:

To break the closed cycles of history, in which each generation lacked something to preserve independence, and each new generation entered a new stage, again forced to take up arms, again having to defend itself and regain freedom. We must not pass this burden onto our descendants.

I doubt that even in victory Ukraine would achieve this, since I expect my interpretation of what this would mean is a bit more radical than his, but it’s a laudable goal and well said.

But going from that speech to an event promoting U.S.-styled theocracy is a bad start.

As reported in The Fucking News, today is the “Ukrainian National Prayer Breakfast”.

This is the local version of a particularly vile U.S. practice, where political figures gather to express their fealty to evangelical-Christian theocracy. Its various events, here and around the world, are run by a group called the Fellowship Foundation (or, more ominously, “The Family”) and in the U.S. at least it’s still a “private” function and not an actual State event.

But in Ukraine it’s an official State event with a government web site and everything.

So that’s not a good look there, Ukraine.

Nor is the kerfuffle last month over the State anti-corruption organizations, honestly.

So in the coming year, let’s try to be independent from oligarchs and U.S. theocrats in addition to staying independent of Russia, yes?

I know: we’re not doing any better on any of those as a country than you are.

Sorry.

But to end on a less dispiriting note, the Kyiv Independent published a list of “34 facts to learn about Ukraine this Independence Day“.

So go read that and learn some interesting facts about Ukraine on its 34th Independence Day.

Let’s hope they have many, many more to come.

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arkady

Author at This Needs Fixin'

a pseudonymous observer of Things That Need Fixin'