“Fellow Traveler” is a term from the 1950’s.

It described Communist sympathizers masquerading as democracy advocates. Fellow Travelers were not official members of any Communist party. They were residents of democracies. They claimed to support democracy, but collaborated to provide aid, comfort and support for Communist regimes.

A sheen of legitimacy is what made the Fellow Travelers so dangerous.

Our congressional representative David Schweikert is on the cusp of crossing into Fellow Traveler territory. Schweikert must decide whether to effectively support or oppose military aid to Ukraine and others where democracy is under attack from anti-democratic regimes. He must decide whether to act or to give mere lip service to aid for Ukraine.

Will Schweikert appease the Russians by opposing aid to Ukraine, all in the service of appeasing Donald Trump? Will Schweikert pressure the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives to allow a vote on aid to Ukraine?

Will Schweikert claim to support — but not act to support –— aid to Ukraine? That is what a Fellow Traveler would do.

Fellow Travelers don’t get re-elected to Congress.

David Schweikert — don’t be a Fellow Traveler.

Gene Mikolajczyk
FOUNTAIN HILLS