Editor’s Note: From the Back Forty is Liberty Nation’s longest-running and most popular weekly column. Capturing the truth each week from heartlanders in flyover states, LN gives voice to the hard-working Americans otherwise ignored by the coastal elites.
On the 2020 campaign trail, candidate Joe Biden made promises that 81 million people seemingly took to heart. He pontificated during one belabored speech that “it is going to take a lot of work to make up for the damage he has done nationally and internationally.” The “he,” of course, was President Donald J. Trump. Biden then monotoned these now infamous words: “Imagine what he can do in another year. Imagine what can happen in Ukraine.”
Well, imagine no more. The Heartland has responded with anger, frustration, a renewed dedication to right the listing ship, and a heavy dose of “I told you so,” as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia became much more than just a threat. But the silence of 81 million people was deafening.
(Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
When the Citizens Must be Armed
The government of Ukraine was handing out firearms to any citizen who wanted to fight; 18,000 submachine guns at publishing time. But James Fite, Editor-at-Large of Liberty Nation, asked if it was too little too late: “It will be interesting to see what happens once the war is over – if, indeed, a Ukraine still exists at that point. Will the people go on to enjoy one of the rights that defines America to the rest of the world, or will the government try to put that genie back in the bottle?”
One woman in Kyiv, Galina, agreed to speak to Liberty Nation on the invasion and citizen involvement. “Our army is worthily repelling the enemy around the perimeter of the attack. Many Ukrainians are actively involved in territorial self-defense of cities. We are united. But now there is a war, so the danger is all around.”
Galina and her family are heavily armed and living in one of the current battle zones. In Terre Haute, IN, Betty Brooks spoke for many an American when she said, “So very sad each person no matter the age has to have a weapon on them! God be with these people of Ukraine and any others in harm’s way of Putin and Biden and China!”
Who Needs Border Patrol?
Coming out of the bowels of the White House, the president has decided to actively entice agents of Border Patrol to leave their jobs on the southern USA and Mexico border and help out in Ukraine. A memo to agents reads, “The Office of Field Operations is seeking volunteers to assist with the possible evacuation of U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and their immediate family members from Ukraine.” And to prepare for a two-month stay. That did not sit well with flyover folks living near the border. Jessica Trujillo near Del Rio, TX, “So, do you want the citizens to patrol the border?” And Ada Shouse in Kentucky wondered, “What kind of a president would leave our borders wide open?”
The answer was easy: this one.
Bravery and Buffoonery
As the fighting in the streets of Kyiv continued, Galina reminded on social media just what was at stake: “Countries that have guaranteed Ukraine’s security must make important and quick decisions, and no sanctions will stop Putin. The enemy must be neutralized immediately; otherwise, the whole world is in danger!”
Mike McGee in Utah laid the problem at the feet of President Joe Biden:
“I’ve been thinking about this war all night and have decided that there are two unavoidable conclusions. Putin is guilty of crimes against humanity. Already, as you watch footage of the war, you can see that the war is being conducted indiscriminately. To Biden, the mantra has arisen that he has allowed this war to develop unchecked as a means of covering up or distracting the public from his gross inadequacies as a president. If that is the case, then he is guilty of murder as he has stood by refusing to act in any effective fashion to stop this war.”
As innocents in Ukraine contend with parks, city streets, schools, and neighborhoods becoming active battlegrounds, it’s best to remember they are just like us. In Galina’s words, “It’s very scary that in the 21st century, it’s happening in the heart of Europe.” And it can happen anywhere.
~ Read more from Sarah Cowgill.
