Tootfinder

2/2 Reflection on #citizenship:
I do not treat the concept of “#democracy" lightly. I was born into the aftermath of centuries of totalitarian oppression that ended suddenly, leaving the nascent Ukrainian state of the late 90s and early 2000s floundering in the turbulent whirlpool of hopes and fears felt by millions of people who were finally allowed to ponder: how to build a free democratic state in the place of Soviet and imperial ruins?
I was taught the words "democracy", "citizen", "freedom", "voting", “liberty" (and more) by people who, less than two decades prior, weren't allowed to leave the borders of their country. I was told about self-determination by people whose political choices were ridiculed, punished, and eviscerated form most of their lives. The duty of governing ourselves felt to us ephemeral - a nice fantasy, akin to a fairytale or a utopia from fictional works.
And then I saw those same people fight with their bodies and souls once the previously unfathomable democracy was threatened. Protests in 2004, then again in 2014, then the unthinkable war against foreign invasion in 2022. Democracy no longer felt abstract or silly. It became as tangible as saying "I love you".
I write of Ukraine as I reflect on becoming a citizen of another country because the history and values of my adopted United States feel as real as the skin on my legs, the significance of its legacy lays as heavy as the weight of my waist-long hair, and the desire to uphold the freedoms of its Constitution burns my throat as harshly as dehydration after a long day in the sun.
People have asked me why I even want to join this country, when the present moment is shrouded in impenetrable darkness. And I answer: because I've felt the warmth of a newly lit fire of freedom breaking through shadows that for centuries looked like solid walls. I have seen kindness, and solidarity heal the fear and hate of oppression. I've seen liberty emerge from nothing but the human soul.
I am not a religious person, but I have faith. Faith in the ideals at the foundation of the American project. Faint but powerful recognition that "we the people" now includes me.
I love #America. And I hope to keep loving my home for the rest of my life.

'Archivist fired by Trump launches a national effort to strengthen democracy': 'On Constitution Day, Shogan launched a national bipartisan effort called "More Perfect" to work on strengthening democracy' https://www.pbs.org/newsho…

Archivist fired by Trump launches a national effort to strengthen democracy
Colleen Shogan made history when she became the first woman to serve as Archivist of the United States in 2023. In February, President Trump fired her with no reason given. On Constitution Day, Shogan launched a national bipartisan effort called "More Perfect" to work on strengthening democracy. Amna Nawaz reports for our series, Art in Action, and our arts and culture coverage, CANVAS.

I donated to ACLU https://www.aclu.org/
"For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this coun…

Home | American Civil Liberties Union
The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

@… thinks a written constitution would somehow impede a #Fascist takeover of the United Kingdom. I admire his optimism: look how well it's working in the United States.
I mean, a written constitution …

Art 3, Sec 3 of US Constitution: “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them…”
Potus, today: “I told Pete [SecDef], we should use…cities as training grounds for…military National Guard, but military, because we’re going into Chicago…soon…” & “I signed an executive order…for quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances…because it’s…enemy from within, & we have to handle it…”
🧵1/2

A democratic nation actually can overcome deep polarization and division
and punish politicians who undermine democracy.
Just not the United States,
even though our leaders have spent decades beating their chests about the wonders of American democracy.
The Brazilian Supreme Court’s recent conviction of Jair Bolsonaro
on five charges related to his attempt to overturn the 2022 election results there and stay in power
is a great illustration that democrat…

Brazil Stopped Its Trump. It’s Pathetic that We Couldn’t Stop Ours.
Brazil barred Bolsonaro from running again and is sending him to jail. Other countries have done it, too. Why is the United States a unique failure?