 Thomas Paine was a founding father whose contributions were philosophical, literary, revolutionary. What might he say about the Ukrainian fight for liberty? O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth! Ever since the Russian invasion, I am constantly struck by the apparent shared sentiments of Ukrainians today with Americans’ fight for liberty in 1775. Thomas Paine was a founding father who never held office, didn’t sign founding documents, nor has his image on any currency. His contributions were philosophical, literary, revolutionary. What might he say about the Ukrainian fight for liberty? Unsurprisingly the Enlightenment principles that imbued our founding fathers shout loudly from Common Sense, perhaps the biggest seller proportionally of all American publications, first pressed in Philadelphia in February 1776. Common Sense was read by, or read to, just about every citizen in the colonies at exactly the time they were deciding whether to declare independence from England. The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, persuaded the British Army it was better to stay in Boston proper rather than attempt military incursions doomed to fail. Sound familiar? Massachusetts was at war and times were tough. George Washington was waiting for artillery on a slow march from Fort Ticonderoga through Massachusetts to be delivered by Benedict Arnold to Dorchester Heights. When installed the cannons represented “checkmate” and the British withdrew on March 17, 1776 (Boston Battle Facts and Summary | American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org). Common Sense was written at this time and Paine talks about the misery Bostonians endured when America found itself in a situation not unlike Ukraine today; in the early days of a war for their liberty from a seemingly overwhelming foe that is intent upon denying that freedom. Common roots give the bully justification – superior size and arms make it doable. Or so they thought. And like America, Ukraine will prevail. It doesn’t take much to bring Paine’s words to life and see their applicability. Just insert Russia for England, Ukraine for America, Putin/autocrat for the king, autocracy for monarchy, and so on. The fact is that his words apply to any country today that is fighting against wanna-be tyrants. Take a look. "The cause of Ukraine is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances hath, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all Lovers of Mankind are affected, and in the Event of which, their Affections are interested. That Putin is not to be trusted without being looked after, or in other words, that a thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of autocracy. There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of an autocrat; it first excludes a man from the means of information, yet empowers him to act in cases where the highest judgment is required. The state of an autocrat shuts him from the world, yet the business of an autocrat requires him to know it thoroughly; wherefore the different parts, by unnaturally opposing and destroying each other, prove the whole character to be absurd and useless. Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions. The nearer any government approaches to a republic the less business there is for an autocrat. Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived. But Russia is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families; wherefore the assertion, if true, turns to her reproach; but it happens not to be true, or only partly so, and the phrase parent or mother country hath been jesuitically adopted by Putin and his parasites, with a low papistical design of gaining an unfair bias on the credulous weakness of our minds. Europe, and not Russia, is the parent country of Ukraine. But if you say, you can still pass the violations over, then I ask, Hath your house been burnt? Hath your property been destroyed before your face? Are your wife and children destitute of a bed to lie on, or bread to live on? Have you lost a parent or a child by their hands, and yourself the ruined and wretched survivor? If you have not, then are you not a judge of those who have. But if you have, and still can shake hands with the murderers, then are you unworthy of the name of husband, father, friend, or lover, and whatever may be your rank or title in life, you have the heart of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant. But Russia is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families; wherefore the assertion, if true, turns to her reproach; but it happens not to be true, or only partly so, and the phrase parent or mother country hath been jesuitically adopted by Putin and his parasites, with a low papistical design of gaining an unfair bias on the credulous weakness of our minds. Europe, and not Russia, is the parent country of Ukraine. But if you say, you can still pass the violations over, then I ask, Hath your house been burnt? Hath your property been destroyed before your face? Are your wife and children destitute of a bed to lie on, or bread to live on? Have you lost a parent or a child by their hands, and yourself the ruined and wretched survivor? If you have not, then are you not a judge of those who have. But if you have, and still can shake hands with the murderers, then are you unworthy of the name of husband, father, friend, or lover, and whatever may be your rank or title in life, you have the heart of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant.  It's a fight that continues on through the Ukrainian people who share the DNA of Europe and the Enlightenment principals we all share. Russia and Putin play the role of the tyrant autocrat some 250 years since America had to beat their English tyrant to form the so-called American Experiment. Similarly, Ukraine has to defeat Russia now to form its Ukrainian Experiment some 31+ years in the making.
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TheoEco Institute is celebrating its seven-year anniversary this month.  TheoEco was incorporated on August 10, 2015 when then 15-year-old daughter Bobbie and I were getting ready to head to Nepal to help with the earthquake recovery effort. We weren’t exactly sure how but thanks to the introductions to Rev. Shyam Nepali, his son Amit, and the rest of their family/Christian community there, we figured it out.  With Amit editing, writing music, guiding, and translating we could document what was going on. And that’s what we are doing still. He, like Bobbie, is also a director of the company.  The three of us have teamed up on every project since including five (or six?) documentaries (and related posts) from earthquake relief to climate change, from guns to Ukraine. In the end though it is always about economic and environmental (human made as well) entanglements we find urgent.  And a Quixotic hopefulness that keeps us thinking we might change the world just a bit.  Not that seven is a particularly momentous number but we couldn’t do it on number five because of COVID. I can remember Bobbie and me in Kathmandu filming Piles of Bricks (Revisited) for release on the fifth anniversary of the earthquakes in 2020. There was this ongoing story in the Kathmandu press about this new virus in a place named Wuhan just over the Himalayas to the north. That film was the earliest victim of the pandemic for TheoEco.  The next TheoEco COVID victim was So Flo Floods which had just premiered and being screened across South Florida when the virus struck. We had just finished a 57-minute version and were planning a big splash at Miami Beach Senior High for the winner of our So Floods Essay Competition. Alas, it went virtual, as all things did as we still tried to get our arms around what the virus meant. I still remember naively thinking that we might still be able to hold the screenings we were booking in the summer of 2020. It was then a question of survival for TheoEco. But survive we have. And it is now time to thrive!  First and foremost, right now is Trek to Bucha. We are finishing the film and beginning its promotion at our Boston premiere on 9/11. It is imperative that we get this film out and seen by as many folks as possible in as expedited a distribution model as we can. People throughout the world need to see these stories now, so say the Ukrainian leaders I speak with like Fr. Yaroslav at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Boston (pictured) to remind people what is going on and why our support is so important. We are holding a fundraising campaign through September 30th to raise $23,000 - the final third of Trek to Bucha’s $68,000 budget. We need funds specifically for PBS News Hour footage we plan to include, music rights and mixing, further editing, promoting, etc. For more about the budget click here. Join us and support TheoEco and Ukraine.
We are raising funds to help cover the remaining $23,000 estimated price tag of Trek to Bucha’s post-production and initial promotional costs. Won’t you help? Help us finish Trek to Bucha, assist Ukraine, and propel TheoEco into its next seven years. It’s easy. Just click on the "Donate Now" button below. You’ll find a variety of donation levels each with a range of reward packages including credits in the film! We promise every dollar will be put to good use. And please plan to join us on September 11th either in person or virtually. For more information click here. 
As we continue to edit Trek to Bucha in anticipation of its September 11th premiere at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jamaica Plain, we are very pleased to announce that we will be allocating half the proceeds from our Boston premiere to Ukraine Forward — an initiative of Ukraine American Education Center of Boston, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that raises money to ship medical and other supplies to Ukraine. 50% of all proceeds from the premiere screening on September 11th will be shared with Ukraine Forward.
As the war continues, needs in Ukraine continue unabated. Ukraine Forward is in direct contact with doctors and volunteers in Ukraine and receives letters of request from:
Their challenges and needs include:
Ukraine Forward has received lots of press coverage from WBUR, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and others.
For more about the organization and its efforts check out their deck by clicking here. You can also check out their website at UkraineForward.org.
Ukraine Forward as seen in Trek to Bucha.
Before we became aware of Ukraine Forward we were showcasing them in the film via Father Yaroslav and his church. At the very beginning of the film’s trailer, we see him taking us into the parish house and the volunteers in action. https://vimeo.com/709512914.
Later on, we see where the supplies go – to the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv where we interview and see students distributing supplies from all over the world. Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv (theoeco.org
In the end, Trek to Bucha’s hoped-for impact is an ongoing awareness of the Ukrainian people’s plight for as long as Putin’s terroristic war continues – and beyond through the rebuilding period. In addition to awareness, we hope the film will help bring much-needed resources to the people and front lines. This is a long-term effort and our support for organizations like Ukraine Forward is just getting started. Therefore, we are sharing 50% of all Trek to Bucha proceeds with Ukrainian causes and organizations; a commitment we are making with our online fundraising tools which allow us to track - and report - every dollar.
So please, donate what you can. We promise every dollar will be put to good use. And please plan to join us on September 11th either in person or virtually. For more information click here. Thank you. Слава Україні! Glory to Ukraine!  We are pleased to unveil the Trek to Bucha feature documentary poster today.
A film’s poster is one of the most important items on its promotional calendar as it is the cover that just about everybody judges a film by (before they see it anyway). It needs to tell the story of the film in a visual with as few words as possible. It can make a difference. Producer Bobbie Richards finally decided on the photo after considering all the stills that were brought back from Ukraine in late April. Turns out it was the same photo that we have been using as a placeholder in our website and marketing. Why this shot? Because most people associate Bucha with devastation, heavy fighting, and atrocities – all true. However, Bucha is also associated with victory – and most importantly, defeat of Russian armor. So, this shot of destroyed Russian armored personnel carriers sitting in a Bucha junk yard encapsulates how we see the story. One of hope for Ukrainians and their allies. One of victory for Ukraine. We hope you like it. |
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TheoEco Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to TheoEco in the United States are tax exempt to the extent provided by law.