[FRIAM] human side of the Ukraine crisis

[Steve Smith]

Mary's nephew's "charge", Vlada made it to Warsaw most of a week ago 
from a small farm east of Kiev.   She has established a network of 
support and (new) friends among the refugees there. The goFundMe cash 
they gathered was very helpful to this effort and being crowdsourced, 
the load was shared among hundreds of friends/family.  I think the 
average donation was under $30.

Mary's nephew's wife just gave birth (this morning) to their second 
child which is what prevented the nephew (early 30s) from traveling to 
Poland to help Vlada directly over the last few weeks.   In the 
meantime, the upside-down refugee admissions to the US (refugees from 
Europe capped at 10,000 while 30,000 Ukrainians *already* in the US have 
claimed (and been granted by exec order?) refugee status.   According to 
an immigration lawyer they have retained, Vlada can likely still enter 
the US under a student visa.   The family is ready to effectively adopt 
her (as a young adult) but her heart is *in* Ukraine and will likely 
return.   I understand she has no immediate family in Ukraine to rely on 
(or worry about), but she does have a more extended family there.

As someone who has become a "bleeding heart liberal" over decades of 
(not so) hard knocks, I fully support this type of immigration or more 
likely temporary refuge (years?) for anyone around the world.  When 
anyone is willing to "host" someone from another part of the world, 
including taking financial responsibility for them, it seems 
unconscionable not to allow that.   In this case, Europe, especially 
Poland and the other eastern EU countries bounding Ukraine is carrying 
the load and being able to release some of that pressure, even one 
individual at a time would seem like a boon to them as well.

Of course, there is all the (not unfounded) rhetoric about how cold our 
shoulders are to those from other countries where the people don't 
remind us of ourselves as much.  I understand some of both sides.  It 
seems a shame that we treat refugees from violence and poverty in 
Central America as a nasty, dangerous "horde" while we welcome these 
pink-faced, blonde haired people wearing designer label clothing.  And 
yet, I also understand why those who have been infected with fear and 
mistrust of "the other" would have this bias as well.

As I think we have discussed hear in great detail, Xenophobia is an 
organic response in individual/group survival.   But that neurochemical 
response of "it's diffr'nt, killit!" might should be something we can in 
fact overrule consciously and culturally.  The (relative) welcoming that 
EU has given to middle-Eastern and north African refugees is a positive 
example.   I am surrounded by many individual positive examples in my 
life, but the Fox/Trump News message about Caravans of Rapists and 
Murderers still bleeds through and exhibits itself in folks mostly 2 
degrees of separation from me.   None of those have I heard squealing in 
horror at supporting Ukranian refugees, however.

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