Survivors emerge from rubble in Ukraine

Mariupol theatre: 'We knew something terrible would happen'

BBC News, Lviv, Ukraine
By Hugo Bachega, Orysia Khimiak
March 17, 2022

After leaving Mariupol, Kate was headed to the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine, a region that has been largely spared of attacks. "The first day after we managed to get out, I couldn't talk. We all just cried", she said. "But now it feels like there are no tears left. I don't think this pain will ever disappear."

Civilians are said to be emerging alive from the ruins of a theatre that, according to Ukrainian authorities, was bombed by Russia in the city of Mariupol. Despite pictures of devastation at the scene, many who were sheltering there are thought to have survived in a basement that withstood Wednesday's attack.

For 10 days, that basement was a refuge for Kate, a 38-year-old Mariupol native, and her son, who is 17. Their own home, like many others in the besieged city, had been destroyed by Russian attacks, and they thought the Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama was a place where they would be relatively safe.

Mother and son squeezed in the building's dark rooms, corridors and halls with dozens of other families. Some women, Kate said, carried babies that were just four or five months old.

"In the beginning, it was really tough, because we didn't have a well-organised food supply. So on the first two days, adults didn't have any food," Kate, who used to work at the city's zoo shop and did not want to give her full name, said. "We gave food only to the children." They slept on improvised beds made with soft parts of auditorium seats which had been put together on the floor. The seats made of wood, she said, were cut in parts and used as firewood for them to cook. "Around the theatre there wasn't enough trees we could use, and it was too dangerous to go outside".
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There had been a video plea for food so that the people taking shelter there could survive. The Russians used that to target them. There were signs on the grounds on both sides of the theater with so that the Russians would know there were children there. They didn't care. They used it to murder the people inside.

When you look at what they are doing to Ukraine, it is easy to focus on all the evil they are committing. What is harder is to try to focus on the miracles that come out of it.

We cannot do much to help the people suffering such evil acts. We cannot do much to open the eyes of the Russian people so they will see they are being lied to. All we can do is pray they see the truth for themselves.

All the reports, what little there is, are about the Russians supporting what Putin is doing. That's only part of the realty going on there because we've seen the massive protests happening and brave Russians being arrested while trying to stop the slaughter of the Ukrainian people.

We saw the woman holding up a sign on a Russian news broadcast.

And then there are other things like this going on.

PBS NewsHour
As some Russians protest the conflict in Ukraine a former senior Kremlin official has criticized the operations there. This comes after an employee of Russian state television on Monday interrupted a live newscast to demonstrate against the fighting and amid reports that Russia asked China for military assistance. Special correspondent Ryan Chilcote joins Judy Woodruff from Moscow to discuss.
For now, know your limitations and do what you can for the people of Ukraine. Watch the news to a point and then do something else for your own sanity. In closing, also notice the first miracle. Putin thought the would take Ukraine in a few days. It's been a month!

Ukraine video shown to congress, stunning

If you just watched President Zelensky deliver his speech to Congress, you saw the video of what Putin is doing to the Ukrainian people. If you have a heart, it just broke.

PBS NewsHour
Warning: Some of the video shown during this speech contains graphic imagery.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver a virtual address Wednesday to Congress, the latest in a series of appeals the leader has made to world leaders for more assistance as Russia's invasion continues.

When people walk away

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 13, 2022

I've been having a really hard time lately. People come into my life, claiming to want to help me, but they decide to walk away. Sure it hurts, but what hurts more, is the fact they didn't even bother to say why they decided I wasn't worth their help.

I am a person of faith and have seen many miracles in my life. I wanted to share miracles in The Lost Son series to give people hope their lives could change for the better above anything other message in the books.

I pray for what I need and sometimes, God can just grant it. Like when I ask for Him to mend my broken heart, restore my confidence or ease my loneliness. Other times, He needs someone else to answer what I pray for.

Sure enough, someone calls me or emails me. They give me hope that finally, after all this time, someone is willing to help me. They fill me with hope but after a few days, I know they decided to just walk away and leave me as I was.

There was a rich guy who promised me for a couple of years he would donate when I had a non-profit. He never did. I never got an answer as to why he did not honor his word.

A Mom of a veteran, who credited me with saving the life of her son, offered to help over time, but when I asked for help, she refused. No explanation. She just said no.

A lot of people came into my life and then, walked away. I had a choice to dwell on what I did wrong that they would turn their backs on me and then, I realized, it says more about them than it did about me.

God heard me and wanted to help. He sent them, but when they walked away, they didn't just refuse to help me, they refused to help God too!

If you are going through the same thing, remember that. Take comfort in that because it proves God is listening to you and cares about you. It also means if He sent you someone before, He'll send someone even better the next time.

we can choose to do something

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 12, 2022

With so many horrible things going on in the world right now, it is understandable to feel hopeless. After all, we are not in control over much. We cannot stop the bombs and slaughter of Ukrainian citizens. We cannot get them food water and supplies as Russian forces surround them. We cannot stop the Russian soldiers from murdering citizens. Only Putin can do that, but he won't.

Sure we can pray that God opens their hearts and minds so they see the difference between defending their own country during war and what they are doing in Ukraine. That has actually been working. Some have seen what they are becoming and it makes them sick to their stomachs. They are telling citizens in Ukraine they had no idea what they were being sent to do after they surrender. The most remarkable thing is, the videos of this happening also show compassion the Ukrainian people have for those sent to kill them.

‘I didn’t want to fight’ -- Ukraine offers Russian soldiers 5 million rubles, pardon

(WILX) - The Ukrainian government, as well as many Ukrainian civilians, have made a point of saying on camera that they do not hold the Russian soldiers to blame for the war ordered by Vladimir Putin.

“I didn’t want to fight,” said one Russian soldier, interviewed after being captured in Ukraine. “I will say the Ukarainian army are nice guys. They didn’t hit me. They gave me food.”

Now, Ukraine is backing that sentiment with a direct offer.

TV presenter Maria Yefrosinina, who is an ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, has announced an offer to Russian soldiers from the Ukraine Government, funded by the global IT community.

The thing is, no matter how bad something is, we can do nothing while it gets worse, or, we can choose to do something, no matter how small we may thing it is. Nothing changes for the better if we do nothing.

If you are in pain, you understand what it feels like. Then you can also understand the pain someone else is living with. If you have ever lost hope, then you know what it feels like when others lose hope. No matter what they are going through, the chances are, you went through the same thing.

Sure you could remember what others did to you and decide to do the same, but it is better to remember what it was like when someone did something for you and do the same.

Remember what words would have given you comfort and restored a sense of hope within yourself, and do the same for others.

Remember what it felt like to be given the glimmer of things getting better for you, and do the same for others.

Remember what it felt like when someone showed you kindness after others only showed you their backs, and do the same for others.

Do what you can for others and heal yourself at the same time. You do not have the power to change the entire world, but you are empowered to change the world for someone else.

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” ― Saint Augustine

Who voted to acquit Trump over what he did to Ukraine?

Aa friend of mine has finally woken up to the fact that Congress tried to hold Trump accountable for what he did to Ukraine in defense of what Putin was doing for him. Now we know that the Republican senators are just as responsible for what Putin did to Ukraine, as Putin is. They had the chance to convict him after the House impeached him. They decided to defend Trump no matter what price would come to Ukraine and the rest of the world, including this country.

Trump must think Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a joke

CNN

According to a recording of the speech obtained by The Washington Post, Trump told the audience of GOP donors that the United States should "put the Chinese flag" on F-22 fighter jets and "bomb the s**t" out of Russia. He quipped, "And then we say, China did it. Then they start fighting with each other, and we sit back and watch."

Politico

President Trump acquitted on both impeachment charges, avoids removal

USA TODAY
Bart Jansen
Christal Hayes
Savannah Behrmann
Nicholas Wu
February 5, 2020

WASHINGTON - The Senate acquitted President Donald Trump for his dealings with Ukraine on Wednesday, culminating months of bitter partisan clashes over accusations he tried to cheat in the 2020 election by pressuring the U.S. ally to investigate political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

The Republican-led Senate voted to acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only senator to cross party lines by voting to convict for abuse of power.

McConnell said impeachment is net win for GOP

“Having been dragged into something she instinctively felt was a mistake, then the second impulse was to get it over with as quickly as possible,” McConnell said of what he called an “abbreviated, truncated, rush job over in the House.”

McConnell then guessed that House Democrats would make the case a fight over witnesses in the Senate. But his staff counted 60 times when House managers had declared during the trial that they had already proved their case.

“I’m proud of my colleagues for seeing through that,” McConnell said of the nearly party-line votes to reject additional witnesses in the trial.

He also said it was right to avoid having Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts resolve a tie over witnesses, if a vote had come to that.

“It’s pretty clear that would have dragged the Supreme Court into the maelstrom,” McConnell said.

He concluded that impeachment was a political loser for Democrats because Trump enjoyed the highest approval ratings of his presidency.
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Who voted to acquit Trump

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ)
Sen. John Boozman (R-AK)
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK)
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)
Sen. David Perdue (R-GA)
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA)
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID)
Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE)
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK)
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD)
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)