LETTER to the Editor

Put yourself in their shoes

To the editor:

Consider this hypothetical scenario: All Americans must be prepared to leave your homes in the next 7 days and never return. Please pack a few of your most treasured belongings and survival items that will sustain you for at least 3 weeks. Women should wear all their valuable jewelry under their clothes, especially gold and silver jewelry which can be sold for cash in the country you are fleeing to. Your US dollars will no longer be accepted since your banks and the US monetary system has disintegrated during the invasion of the United States.

Multiple layers of clothing will ensure that you can survive the long escape to Canada without frost bite. Mexico is supporting the invading force, so you can no longer flee in that direction.

A backup of walking shoes and tennis shoes should be attached to your backpack in addition to the boots you will be wearing. Several pairs of heavy-duty socks can be switch out daily to help prevent blisters. Bring rain suits or long raincoats instead of umbrellas, since you will be assisting the elderly and young children with your free hand as you flee.

Travel items should be packed in a suitcase that has travel wheels instead of small swivel roller wheels, which will fall apart on a 50 to 300 mile walk on rough country roads. Separate out your short term survival items into a backpack in case you have to leave your suitcase behind while running from the shelling of the road you are on and then have to flee cross country.

Since you will be unable to flee with your husband who is staying behind to fight, you will become the head of the family. Communication with your husband will cease, since most cell towers and the electric grid has been targeted for total destruction.

This is real for all of the mothers, children and elderly in Ukraine fleeing their devastated homeland. As we all watch the world news nightly we are slowly becoming numb to the horror we see unfolding on TV. Many of us no longer watch the news, which has overwhelmed our senses and our sleep. Over 80% of us support cutting off Russian oil imports, which makes us feel better. We are being told it will hurt us at the pump, but the majority of Americans blame the Administration for high gas prices.

If you take the time to read this mind blowing scenario of fleeing your home with nothing to come back to, losing your pension, social security, work income, savings and almost every possession including your home and wonderful American lifestyle, please haul your sturdiest suitcase out and pick out what survival items you are going to take with you.

After doing this, please consider sending money to one of the many registered Ukrainian refugee support agencies. Lists are available on every news website. It will not stop the war, but will assist displaced Ukrainian families fleeing the horror that Putin is subjecting them to for no good reason. Please think of what support you would want after looking at how little you could take with you in your suitcase and backpack, and NEVER RETURN TO YOUR HOME AND COUNTRY AGAIN. And even worse, you may never see your spouse or male children over 18 again.

Floyd Nagler