There's a reason we have creative people in the world. They help us wrap our minds around ideas, thoughts, sometimes around the unthinkable. The Russian assault on Ukraine falls into that third category. A power-hungry despot leading a superpower into a smaller, less powerful land doesn't seem like a fair fight, and seeing the reports coming out of Ukraine for the past few weeks seems to confirm that.

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On opposite sides of the world, musicians are doing war protest songs for the troops and for the victims of the Russian attack on Ukraine, including Big Rapids' Billy Craig of Brownsville Station.

Okean Elzy is maybe Ukraine's biggest rock band and back in 2015, they released a powerful video reacting to the events that were happening around them and historically. And now the band's lead singer, Slava Yakarchuk, is using his band's songs to pump up the morale of Ukrainian troops.

(Ger Tatz via YouTube)

And then here in Michigan, there's Billy Craig. You might not know his name, but for the past decade, he's been a part of Brownsville Station, the Ann Arbor band that hit it big with "Smokin' in the Boys Room. He's also from Big Rapids and still does stuff there.

But now Craig's released a song "Tears For Ukraine" with Michigan band Elsie Binx.

(Billy Craig-Topic via YouTube)

Maybe this isn't like the 1960s. Ukraine is a faraway country, while with Viet Nam, it's our brothers and classmates that were going to southeast Asia, and, in some cases, not coming back. But there are many people living in this part of Michigan who have eastern European, and more specifically, Ukrainian blood flowing in them. And as the headlines each day get scarier, it's not just about "Tears for Ukraine", but prayer that we're not seeing the start of World War III.

15 Ways You Can Help People in Ukraine Right Now

As Americans watch events unfold in Ukraine, many wonder how they can help. Below is a list of organizations responding to the crisis in Ukraine along with information on how you can support their various missions. 

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Going in chronological order from 1956 to 2020, we present the best-selling album from the year you graduated high school.

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