Mark Hamill has been a progressive Jedi Twitter warrior for years.
When we first met Hamill as Luke Skywalker, he was whining that he had to go to Tosche Station to pick up more power converters and thus could not complete his chores on Uncle Owen’s moisture farm. So many of us could relate at the time, but now we’re extra simpatico as he does his utmost to vanquish yet another evil empire.
Years after blowing up the Death Star and defeating Darth Cheney, Hamill eventually completed his original mission, and now he’s determined to help Ukraine as it battles a different gang of stormtroopers who can’t shoot straight.
Hamill understands that helping a sovereign fledgling democracy defend itself against the naked aggression of an autocratic neighbor oafishly scrounging for lebensraum is actually an unambiguously good thing. So he’s helped direct 500 droids to Ukraine to take down Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, and 498 other bloodthirsty jabronis.
Wait, I read that wrong. It’s 500 drones. Still pretty good, though.
“Very simply, Ukraine needs drones,” Hamill, an ambassador for Ukraine’s Army of Drones project, told host Joe Mathieu in a recent interview with Bloomberg Radio’s Sound On.
“They define war outcomes, they protect their land, their people, they monitor the border, they’re eyes in the sky. I was really shocked because they give me these updates at least two or three times a week about what’s going on and they said they’ve received over 500 drones since I started this.”
It’s understandable that watching Ukrainian civilians get shelled and otherwise abused by Putin’s garbage army might make us all feel helpless at times, but Hamill reminds us that there are tangible steps we can take to help.
The Military Times:
The program through which Hamill was able to donate is called “UNITED24,″ which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy created to collect donations for the National Bank of Ukraine. The funds are used for the most pressing war needs, according to its site.
“The new ambassador introduction took place during an online call with the President of Ukraine,” a Ukrainian government site states. “Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Mark Hamill for supporting Ukrainian people since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
So far, donations through UNITED24 have reached more than $210 million. The site also vows transparency, offering weekly spending updates.
This tweet is perfection.
It translates to “may the Force be with you,” of course.
In another quote, Hamill shows that he understands the importance of this moment in history, and knows that Ukraine is currently standing in the gap as a bulwark against fascism, genocide, and Putin’s imperial adventurism.
“In this long and unequal fight, Ukraine needs continuous additional support,” Hamill said. “That’s why I was honored President Zelenskyy asked me to become an ambassador for the Army of Drones. I know for certain that Ukrainians need drones to protect their land, their freedom, and the values of the entire democratic world. Right now is the best time for everyone to come together and help Ukraine stand up in this war with the evil empire.”
And whether he’s destroying the Death Star or delivering for Ukraine, young Master Skywalker always gets the job done.
Let’s just hope it takes far less than 43 years to de-Putinize Eastern Europe.
RELATED: Read the latest Daily Kos Ukraine Update
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