<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>In support of Ukraine and its president</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The Beaufort Republican Women’s Club rises in support of the people of Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelensky.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” a Colonial commander exhorted his men as they primed their bodies and spirits against the British onslaught … near Bunker Hill … and rallied later by the choice, “Live free or die!” … to today’s “I need ammunition, not a ride!” said Ukrainian President Zelensky, countering offers “to leave the field of battle and 'escape.'" He did not fear the line of Russian steel, menacing, bogged down on the road to Kyiv – not by want of fuel but empty of God’s saving spirit and freedom’s words of truth.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>During World War II, the courage to survive, and win, embodied by seven fighting men raising the Stars and Stripes on the barren hill atop of Iwo Jima, also uplifted and inspired the American people.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>So too, today, by our prayers and America’s strategic support, may Ukraine’s government (like our post Civil War’s) “of the people and for the people not perish …”</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Finally, in turn, may the Ukraine people’s and its President’s example of courage and strength revitalize our faith in our fellow Americans and our country, and that in and with God, nothing is impossible, even against an “unhinged Russian despot!”</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><em>– The Beaufort Republican Women’s Club</em></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><br><strong>Standing for Ukraine, democracy, justice</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and condemn the senseless aggression shown by Vladimir Putin and Russia. As we watch from afar while the people of Ukraine literally take up arms and fight for their democracy at the hands of oppressors, it should bring into focus our own struggle to preserve our democracy at home.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>No, we have not yet reached the point of desperation the Ukrainian people currently find themselves staring down, but it is a stark reminder of how fragile freedom truly is. And let it be a call to action to ensure our democracy remains strong.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>As Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously reminded us, if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. May the United States of America always fall on the side of justice.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><em>– The Beaufort County Democratic Party</em></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><br><strong>We can meet the challenge of rising seas</strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) now says that the sea is rising three times as fast as the one foot rate of the last 100 years. We are told that the next 30 years will bring an average of another foot world wide.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Sea level is not the same everywhere nor does the sea rise at the same rate everywhere. Thus the Lowcountry may experience 14 or 15 inches of SLR by 2050.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>We are not helpless in the face of this challenge. For sure it will be difficult. If you take a look at the NOAA report on the website, you will find that projections are in ranges not fixed predictions. In part those ranges reflect unknowns in natural forces. We are the big unknown. What will we do? If nothing, a lot of shoreline will be lost, our military bases will be compromised or moved and we will suffer 10 times as many damaging flood events. All because of rising temperatures that expand the water and melt the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the rate of temperature increase and sea level rise. Every degree of heat and inch of water counts. Public policy can implement a market-based approach to deploy renewable energy and stimulate innovation. Let’s face this. With action at the federal level and commitment from everyday citizens, the next 30 years will bring the energy transformation we need.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>First be informed. Take a look at the NOAA report. Then, as we do at Citizens’ Climate Lobby, write the President, call or write your senators and congressional representatives. Urge leaders at every level to take action. Don’t wait to see what happens.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><em>– Tim Joy, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Beaufort</em></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->