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After I finished reading this essay, I went to my credit card website to pay off the monthly balance. Years ago I signed up for rewards, and have been redeeming the dollar amount annually (at the end of the year) by adding it to my credit card balance. When I noticed that thus far I've accumulated $514 since Jan. 1, 2022, it occurred to me that instead of using it for a credit on my card, I could redeem it to my credit card as usual and then donate that amount to UNITED24 for a Shahed Hunter, using my credit card. I know that not everyone can afford to do this, but if you can, I urge you to do so, and to spread the word.

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author

Such a nice gesture

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founding

That is so cool, Rose. Thank you for that decision :-).

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Done. And sent to friends. The war against genocidal Russian fascism is our war too

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author

Thank you

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Done. And all I want for Christmas is donations to Ukraine.

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author

Please share the post between now and then

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founding

Done. It's a privilege to be able to do so. Please let us know where we can check the state of the fundraising effort. I'm sure Zelens'kyi will smile again and, perhaps, it won't be too long a wait.

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author

I asked about this. There’s no automatic mechanism and I don’t want to pester the people doing this too much — they have a lot going on. But I will keep you posted

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founding

I just have a feeling that this campaign will be eminently successful.

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I'd love to watch the funds go up.

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United24 has an email newsletter that is distributed about once a month. It tracks the contributions to all the fundraising channels on the site and includes news about the entire effort. I have been donating to the Army of Drones for a while and feel inspired by the rising numbers. Newsletter signup is on the United24 webpage. You will not receive unwanted solicitations.

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founding

Thank you, Nancy. Yes, I have been receiving those emails. It's such a great read, gives me goosebumps,

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Just signed up. Thanks, Nancy.

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Good idea. I'd like to view the status, too.

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I wonder if there would be demand for a "Shahed Hunter" credit-card-like genocide-offset mechanism. The underlying motivation is that we are individually complicit in funding criminal regimes through purchases of oil and such. The card would calculate a percent of our gasoline purchases, for instance, and automatically transfer that percentage to an account that funds Shahed Hunters! It is like the idea of carbon tax credits, except individualized. After Russia is defeated the Shahed Hunters card holders can meet in their cities for celebrations! Videos like the one released early in the war that connected buying gasoline with funding atrocities could advertise the cards.

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author

Nice idea.

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I have already made a couple of donations. They are tiny drops in the bucket, but I am happy to send what I can, as I can, to to be of help. Yesterday's attack, again, broke my heart, and opened it for more compassion...and action.

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author

Thanks.

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Done. And will continue to do as I am able. I've been contributing to United24 since it went live--it's an excellent site, secure and easy to use. The newsletter is great, too. Thank you for spreading the word.

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author

So glad.

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Signed up to be a monthly donor. This is an incredible group of folks encouraging the world to pitch in and help. Thank you all for making this platform available for funds to get where they are best needed.

Helping those in need makes me feel useful in a situation that is overwhelming.

I’ve shared and will continue to do so.

Thank you and the team at Unted24.

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author

Thank you!

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Maybe the half billion McConnel spent on our elections to defeat our democracy, could have been better spent on our suffering brothers and sisters. We will turn this world around. Watch this space. Slava Ukraini!

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author

:)

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Thank you Professor Snyder! I donated and shared with the group of people learning Ukrainian from Inna in Kherson https://www.youtube.com/c/SpeakUkrainian

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author

Super. Sharing is key.

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I also took her class! She's amazing <3

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I have made a donation just now. I've made others recently to other efforts through United24. Thank you as well for the interview on CNN last night. Russia is fully to at fault for this war which they chose to start. I hope the full interview with Amanpour will be available soon. I've only seen a really short clip. I have felt that certainly there must be more that was discussed. She did quite an interview with President Zelenskyy and Mrs. Olena Zalenska not long ago. The errant missile(s) that killed two people in Poland is really tragic. I have read in the Kyiv Post that Ukraine is asking to also look at the site in Poland. I hope they have an opportunity to do that. NATO does not want to "escalate" but it is my opinion that russia wants to escalate and keeps pushing toward that end. At some point spending precious recourses to keep repairing what russia destroys is also a ploy on their part to wear down donors. I cannot believe there are not people in leadership thinking similar thoughts - the problem is, what to do to stop russian aggression and get them out of Ukraine. Unless a decision is made to stop russian aggression with forceful means these attacks on infrastructure and people's lives will continue. I wonder what the late Madelyn Albright would be saying right about now?

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I agree that whether the missile in Poland was targeted or accidental, the risk is the same - the world is at the whim of a genocidal madman unbound by morals or laws. "Plausible deniability" has always been a favorite of russia since before putin and it should not dictate how the world responds. Especially as Poland was not the only country attacked outside of Ukraine yesterday - Moldova reported massive power outages due to infrastructure in Ukraine being bombed, and this was 6 days after Moldova (which has a Donbas-like "separatist region" in Transistria on a long stretch of Ukrainian border) asked the EU for help with energy during putin's war. I don't think these will look like coincidental accidents when we look at the full history of this war in the future.

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Thank you for the opportunity to let us do a little something that may offset the suffering of the Ukrainians. Keep us posted on progress!!

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author

Will do

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Nov 16, 2022·edited Nov 16, 2022

We will contribute. Thanks for directing this feeling we have to contribute more; there are so many ways to give popping up and so much we would like to do that we cannot. I hope that Biden and the Congress will do more. I hope that private donors, some with millions or billions to spend will give for this urgent need. I hope too, that somehow we can just Stop Russia, at least double down on ways we can punish Russia, i.e. at the United Nations by revoking its undeserved membership in the Security Council. This is a position that should be held honorably and one that Russia just slipped into, just assumed at the breakup of the USSR.

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author

Yes I am finding that interesting too

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While I agree with you, the UN as presently constituted is incapable of expelling anyone from the Security Council. Sadly, it was part of the "deal" when the UN was founded that the major victors in WW2 would get permanent Council seats, and with that the power to veto anything.

Those of us who have been around since the cold war remember how the USSR and PRC often used their veto power to hobble UN action. What we in the US tend to overlook is how the US has repeatedly used its veto to prevent Israel from being held accountable for the more egregious of its actions.

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Nov 16, 2022·edited Nov 16, 2022

I totally agree which is why i strongly and uselessly objected to a comment on the other thread comparing Ukraine with Israel. Its our unconditional long ongoing support of Israel’s occupation that keeps us from any moral high ground regarding what we say of Russian crimes. It can be said we do not support the long occupation but we in fact do and are.

Regarding the UNSC Russia position I ran across something about this issue being discussed at the UN. I don’t know if formally. It may be brewing. Nothing is permanent really. Russia is not the USSR.

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done!!

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Just one more thought: Donors to political candidates via Act Blue can redirect contributions to United24 now that the 2022 election is over.

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founding

Maybe wait until all the recounts and the runoff are over....

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Donated. I am unsure if I ended up donating to the United24 organization by mistake or your specific fundraising but did donate! Thank you for your efforts.

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author

Either way is great.

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