LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (07/02/06)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Orange progressives, Blue reactionaries

Dear Editor:

In a letter about the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine (Ukraine's Future: "Oligarchs United," June 18), the writer gives this advice: "We should stop using the worn-out terms of "Orange" or "Blue," pro-Russian or pro-Western, pro-democracy or pro-authoritarian. These terms are history. What we see today in Ukraine is simply a contest between two forces: progressive versus reactionary."

There are problems with such a suggested characterization. The first one, possibly capricious, is that the word "progressive" does not sit well with many in the diaspora. The second problem is that the word "reactionary" unmistakably connotes not only the oligarchs but also, in my view, President Vladimir Putin's and President George W. Bush's internal agendas in their countries. The third and major problem is that the characterizations "pro-Russian" and "Orange" refuse to disappear on my screen.

And then there is an interesting paradox in that the non-progressive Mr. Bush, who last week had to cancel his planned visit to Kyiv because of the current political mess there, is not as bad for Ukraine as he is for America - as I correctly observed in a letter almost two years ago.

President Bush's support for Ukraine's membership in NATO is a key element in the U.S. strategy for oil control in Central Asia and is also the best guarantee that an ever more confident Russia won't try to push Ukraine around - which no one in the government in Kyiv is brave enough to say openly, as a Kyiv Post editorial put it on June 1.

The cold war between Ukraine, trying to exist as a separate independent entity, and Russia, which is trying to absorb it, overlays the putative scenario in which the progressive and reactionary forces are duking it out. The oligarchs who appear to be powerful will actually go into the dust bin of history, in both Russia and Ukraine, much quicker than communism did. But Russia's permanent threat to Ukraine's existence as a nation is here to stay, perhaps for another 300 years - if Ukraine does not disappear from the map much sooner.

A major, if not the most important, vehicle of Russia's menace is the presence of a huge pro-Russian population in the southeast of Ukraine. It is not so much the ethnic Russians as it is the more numerous Russified Ukrainians who play the major divisive role, seeing anything Ukrainian - in the distinct national sense - as toxic.

The two parts of Ukraine - the one that sided with the Orange Revolution and the other that was against it- are geographically identifiable and fundamentally incompatible. The chasm between them coincides with the line between the pro-Western and pro-Russian two parts. Ethnic Russians can easily be found on the "Orange" side. It may be recalled that during the heady days of Boris Yeltsin's stand for democracy at the barricades in Moscow in 1991 most residents of Moscow seemed to be on his side.

Without a stable pro-Western government, Kyiv is in no position to resist the brazen demands of regional pro-Russian forces, much less pursue the NATO option. "Coalition Chaos," as summed up in The Ukrainian Weekly's editorial on June 18, has a potential for spawning anarchy throughout the country. Laying blame at President Viktor Yushchenko's doorstep is right on the mark.

Mr. Yushchenko's ineptness is proving to be legendary, and he is now causing concern about the Ukrainians' ability to govern themselves. By behaving as if his party did not receive a thorough drubbing in the March parliamentary election, he is showing an ethical deficiency, disrespect for the democratic process and an absence of ordinary common sense.

Boris Danik
North Caldwell, N.J.

Ukrainian experience shared by reader

Dear Editor:

Myron B. Kuropas is almost always on target with his commentaries, but this time his column: "It's DP, not PTSD, Remember?" really hit home with me. It reads like an identical story to what my parents and I experienced. It's as though he was writing about my parents.

My father was a school principal in Volodymyr Volynsk, sent there from Kyiv. My mother was a teacher in that school. Their journey from Ukraine to Germany mirrors his in-laws' story. I was 6 years old, so I remember it well.

In the displaced persons camp in Hanau, Germany, my mother taught in the provisional school for Ukrainian children. My parents' experiences in the United States also mirror the experiences of his in-laws.

All of these traumatic experiences did not scar my parents or me for life, but made us stronger.

My parents lived by Verkhovyna in Glen Spey, N.Y., in their retirement. Like Dr. Kuropas, I met my spouse at Soyuzivka. Today we live a very comfortable life in Oyster Bay Cove on Long Island. PTSD never kicked in for us as it didn't for the people of my parents' or my generation. Instead, my husband became a successful engineer and I attained an executive position with an international company. We raised two wonderful daughters who have blessed us with five grandchildren. All are living "The American Dream."

I know that mine is only one success story of thousands of Ukrainians who emigrated to the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, never receiving psychological counseling or therapy; and of course, no monetary help, such as welfare.

Once again, Dr. Kuropas says it like it is in his column. Bravo!

Larisa Shevchenko
Oyster Bay Cove, N.Y.

Karnaoukh family thanks community

Dear Editor:

This is a letter from the Karnaoukh family. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who supports us. Thank you for signing our petition. We have hundreds of signatures already.

Also, we are thankful to everyone who called our representatives. Jacky Grindrod from Congressman Bill Pascrell's office said that they were flooded with phone calls for our support, both in New Jersey and in Washington.

We would also like to thank The Ukrainian Weekly for publishing numerous articles about us and our personal letters to the community.

We would especially like to thank the people who took an active role in collecting the signatures for our support.

Thank you all once again, and may God bless you and your families.

Karnaoukh Family
Ternopil, Ukraine

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