A new world order is taking shape, and democracy never been as popular globally as it is today. 

Vladimir Putin is showing the world what fascism and authoritarianism look like while President Biden is showing the world what Democracy means and why it’s the best system for everyone in our modern times. 

World leaders need to be elected by the people, they need to be held accountable, and they must earn the right to serve. 

The whole free world is now united against Putin – his only allies are North Korea, Belarus, Syria, and a few other third-world dictatorships. China, the other huge power player in all of this, is very noticeably on the sidelines – a huge blow to Putin, who was quite obviously counting on their support, or at least for them to help soften the blow of international sanctions. (To their credit, they have done neither.)  

When this war first started, I said over and over again: We can trust our President; no one is better equipped for this moment. Sure enough, he’s consistently outmaneuvered Putin at every turn. 

The rage is building in the Kremlin, Putin's top aides are afraid to give him real-time updates, and that in and of itself gives me a laugh – what kind of world leader doesn't even know what's going on in his own country?

Putin is so isolated now that I suspect his own family will be turning on him soon, especially since they’re now feeling the squeeze of international sanctions because of his actions. 

Folks, I promise you this is causing unbearable damage to Putin, the oligarchs, and the Russian government as a whole. Sadly, I know this is also taking a toll on everyday Russian citizens who did not ask for this. We need to remind them every day that Putin did this to them. He alone started this illegal war, and he alone can end it.

Meanwhile, here at home, I find it absolutely sickening that just as the entire world seems more determined than ever to move towards democracy, we have people in this country who want to do the opposite. 

The Radical Right is infatuated with Putin, they admire his authoritarian swagger, and they want to bring Trump back to the White House so he can rule in Putinesque fashion. 

Marjorie “Traitor” Greene, Lauren “Breitbart” Boebert, Matt “the Pedophile” Gaetz, Madison “Drug-fueled Orgy” Cawthorn … they all praise Putin and bash Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy. It doesn’t stop there, though: There's a reason why we call Mitch McConnell “Moscow Mitch,” after all! 

Look, McConnell may be a lot smarter than drooling morons I listed right before him, but his intentions are exactly the same. He, too, believes in stripping away our rights as citizens and having complete control over us – what we’re allowed do with our bodies, who we’re allowed to live with and love, how we’re allowed to raise our children, and so much more.

The irony can’t be overstated: The Republican Party claims to be the party of freedom and individual liberty, yet in red states all across the country, people’s constitutional rights are being trampled like never before:

• In Texas, people who seek abortion care are being charged with murder and their doctors sued by bounty hunters in pursuit of a $10,000 payday. 
   
• Also in Texas, parents of trans kids must weigh the risk that their child will die by suicide against the fear of having them taken away and placed in foster care if they seek gender-affirming medical treatment. 
   
• In Alabama, doctors and nurses who offer gender-affirming care to trans minors now face up to 10 years in prison for each “offense.”
   
• In Florida, queer kids and their families will have to stay in the closet at school because it’s now against the law to talk about sexuality or gender identity in the classroom.

And all of that doesn’t even touch on the sweeping attacks on marginalized groups’ voting rights in red states, which are designed to ensure we get more of the same at the federal level after the upcoming midterms.

Make no mistake, they have their sights set on completely overturning Roe v. Wade (legalized abortion), Obergefell v. Hodges (same-sex marriage), and Griswold v. Connecticut (legal contraception), and even Loving v. Virginia (interracial marriage) – these are all real threats that actual sitting Republican lawmakers at the federal level have promoted in the past year!  

Change like this doesn't happen overnight, it happens in phases, and right now, they’re laying the groundwork at the state level, trying to rig our electoral system so they can get the votes they need in Congress to make their theocratic fascist dreams come true.

Look, folks, democracy for me is not just a talking point – I enlisted in the military in back in 1989 to fight for democracy, to defend it, to make sure it prevails. 

What I didn’t realize back then, but know all too well today, is just how fragile democracy is, and how easily it can be taken away. 

Powerful forces in this country are lining up to fight against democracy in this upcoming midterm election, and it’s going to take all of us pitching in and working together to defeat them.

The future of our nation is at stake, and we can’t afford to sit this one out. 

Republicans may have billionaires, special interest groups and Vladimir Putin on their side, but we have “We the People.” You know what they say: “The people united will never be defeated!” I believe that with all my heart, and I know you do, too. 

So, I’m asking you once again to pitch in and help us fight.

Together, we can stop the Party of Putin and save American democracy.

Sappers clear the way, Airborne all the way!

--Retired Major Richard Ojeda 

P.S. If you REALLY want to make a huge difference to our ability to win this fight, consider making a small monthly commitment to No Dem Left Behind. Even just $5 or $10 a month makes a huge difference when we know we can count on it, no matter what.