Remember John Dean's testimony before Congress about Nixon: (Dean): I think that there's no doubt about the seriousness of the problem we've got. We have a cancer within—close to the presidency, that's growing. It's growing daily. It's compounding." That was 50 years ago. The cancer has returned.
Cheryl, it is interesting how this "cancer," racism, has existed so long in this country. We went through Reconstruction, then Jim Crow, the KKK and now MAGA/KKK. The present day Republican Party is now racist to its core. In fairness to the Evangelicals, while they want to establish Christianity (their version) as the official U.S. religion, many are still motivated to support Trump by pure, unadulterated racism. Perhaps Marx was right: Religion is the "opiate of the masses." Marx argues that religion is an ideological tool that legitimates and defends the interests of the dominant, wealthy classes in the population. It does so in part by placating the poor and exploited classes. Thomas Frank explains this in "What's the Matter with Kansas?"
While I agree that racism is a large part of it, it has gone beyond that to worship of power and greed among the top and their use of the plebs by riling them and making sure they are well armed. The latest Taylor Swift nonsense is one current example. Women, anyone not heterosexual, anyone who is not a Christian: all these are enemies also. It also appeals to a certain nastiness found in many who want to do and say anything and now they can.
Well, most Christians are Christians in name (CINO). The Taylor Swift thing is ridiculous. 1st amendment: freedom of speech: trump is big on it so he can threaten (execute Milley) and insult, pressure people( the border bill), tell lies and misrepresent facts. What has Taylor done? I think she simply told people to vote.
Thank you, Richard Sutherland. You reminded me of the Marx assignment from sophomore world history class (1953). I found Marx (it was Cold War days) quite acceptable. It was Lenin’s and later Stalin’s Marx that completely corrupted his original writing. When we think of the world in which Marx was writing, he was “revolutionary” as were our Founding Fathers.
Virginia As a college senior in 1955, I took a course on the Soviet Union taught by a professor who had served in our Moscow embassy. I learned to prefer Groucho over Karl Marx.
In 1957 I read Djilas’s THE NEW CLASS. Djilas had been a Yugoslav vice president under Tito until he became disillusioned with communist rule. His book described, in insider detail, how communism (Marxism gone bonkers?) badly served the people and created a privileged ‘new class.’
In 1958 I gave a copy of this book to President Nasser, suggesting that this was occurring with the Egyptian military. Though he didn’t heed my advice, I know that he ordered some members of the Revolutionary Command Council to read it.
Keith, I lived with a couple of refugees from the war in the former Yugoslavia, and met many more. These folks occasionally waxed nostalgic for the he days under Tito- because he did not allow religious persecution and people had learned to live in peace. After Tito, the war pitted Orthodox Christian vs Muslim vs Catholic and the leaders promoted religious bigotry and violence. It was quite a relief to come here, even though former doctors, judges, managers ended up as house painters and janitors.
You may be driving me to go back to read the bit of Marx that impressed me as not what Russia was about, which made me think that what he wrote was not what Stalin was about (when I read that he was the son of a drunken cobbler who beat him, I understood who he was), and later when I learned of Gorbachev as “friend” of CIA agent who was friend of friend, I added that to my bits of Russian history. Russians read Marx too!
Not enough of those ruling Egypt read that book, Keith.
It was due to the massive corruption of Egyptian officials that young Egyptian doctors, other health workers, and young Egyptian intellectuals -- along with visiting young Saudis and others -- finally in the 1990s formed al-Qaeda.
Saddest part of all this, the U.S. quite officially covered for the corrupt Egyptians. American money paid for the Egyptian ruler's arms. The U.S. military trained the Egyptian secret police in their ways of cruelty.
Marx was describing the conditions in England during the 19th century Industrial Revolution and they were truly appalling. He expected the change to take place in industrial countries, not primarily agricultural ones like Russia and China. What happened in both those places was the trading of one autocracy for another kind of autocracy, hence not exactly revolutions at all. Putin and Xi are the latest iterations of tsar and emperor.
To me that's a frightening thought. Steve Bannon once identified himself as a Leninist, and the idea of "Deconstructing the Deep State," is directly from those leanings. America First, the group working with Trump for his "second term" has plans to do just that in "schedule F" which is meant to take benefits from career bureaucrats.
I will suggest that the slow-but-steady "darkening" of America, as one state after another loses its White majority, fuels the unreasoning anxiety that Trump has so successfully tapped into.
John, I love the deflection. Commonly, it's known as white racism, or, as you put it, "unreasoning anxiety." Thank you for this. In time, somewhere down the road, the entire human race with have a skin with a darker hue. Apparently, that's how we started until mutations came along.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why decent politicians remain in the cult that the GOP has become. It is not just racist, it has a sick Puritan sex twist embodied by Mike Johnson, and a “women as chattel” undertone.
In recent weeks I have heard Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney state the desire to restore the party. You might as well decide to restore a bowl of chicken salad into your pet chicken.
I hope some respected leaders of the rump GOP find the nerve, money, and energy to start a new party. This one is beyond salvage.
Most republicans who bucked the maga trend have resigned or been drummed out of the party. See Jeff Flake, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger et al. A very few are left, like Romney or possibly Lankford but we’d be hard pressed to come up with many names, and Lankford has been censured by his state Republican Party. It’s pretty magafied.
Maga controls the party Ed. They are no longer a subset. True Republicans allowed it by their silence or refusal to use the GOP bully pulpit for what the party stands for. Silence is ammo for the agressor.
Richard In retrospect [I was on the Nixon White House Enemies List] Watergate and its aftermath was skin cancer. Trumpistism is cancer metastasized. It has the likelihood of spreading through the American body unless it is surgically and promptly removed
And how do you propose to extract the cancer from the Republican Potty? How do you do that when you have one MAGA extremist threatening to over throw another major one from his speakership if he proposes a bill to fund Ukraine? I believe that when you're dealing with such extreme stupidity, it's definitely stage four....
Sad, but true, Keith. And perhaps some Greed will go with it. Maybe we could focus on cleanup (soils, air, education, tax structure, etc.) instead of more money.
John Dean, having been through something somewhat similar before, definitely knows what he's talking about. He's bright enough to see what's happening now. It makes Watergate look like an ice cream sundae without the whipped cream and cherry. What's happening now is right out in the open. How can people be so blind? Denial is very strong.
Thanks for the tip! I've read Dean's earlier books, and they were all very good. It's amazing how helpful he has been since he turned around after Nixon.
Richard, I just r ad the article you referenced. Thank you. With Nixon the guard rails were still in place and holding. The Republican Party was not a cult of thugs, clowns and cowards. And Nixon himself had a “ sense of shame “ and respect/ fear of the law. What is going on now is scary.
Thanks for this article, Richard. It takes me back to those bad old days. The thing I’m really struck with today, is that Watergate went from the burglary to the resignation in about 2 1/2 years! Look at how slowly the wheels of justice grind now. In fact I’m reminded of Dickens’ Great Expectations!
Thank you Heather for posting the highlights of your and many of your reader's Senator's speech. We are very fortunate to have such a thoughtful and well spoken statesman as one if our representatives in Washington. And to have you Heather, bring us the daily news highlights and the history to go with them.
Thank you for sharing the Guardian article Gary. I can’t help but think that Dean’s “knots in his stomach” have grown back bigger today than with Nixon’s presidency.
A speech we only know about because we subscribe to HCR. Thank you for keeping us informed. And King is absolutely right. I think of the people murdered by Hitler because we wouldn't let a ship full of Jewish refugees dock. Unfortunately, the MAGANAZIS are making us into the Cadre of bad guys.
Senator King's speech might help us and others reflect not just on what opponents of Ukraine funding are saying and doing, but also why. Is the rhetoric knee-jerk opposition for its own sake or are they puppets easily manipulated by followers who are equally blind?
499 readers of this fine column agreed with Angus King’s strong comments but have we done anything individually to help move immediate help for Ukraine? Time is running very short and a tragic world disaster awaits us unless we (I really mean you and I individually) do something meaningful to help them? Here’s what each of us can do today and it will take only a few minutes and it will cost us nothing: 1) please place one call to each of your two Senators today and leave a message that they should insist that the Senate move a bill asap to fund UKRAINE’s defense against Russian aggression! 2) Please follow up next week with another call and ask if your Senators did anything to move bill along? 3) Can you ask a few friends via email to do the same thing? Yes, this kind of grassroots pressure can have results from time to time!!
BTW ages and ages ago, Angus King was a very helpful high school student who assembled boxes of direct mail for me when I ran a campaign of a moderate Democrat for the Senate against the segregationist Byrd Machine in Virginia. Angus is and has been a wonderful Senator!
DRound, Agree totally with your comment,”impressive” and so on point. Now how do we get this message to be heard on MSM or get Midas Touch Network to have commentary on this eloquent message. Or maybe get it posted on You tube, or other social media apps. I am ignorant on how to get this done but someone here hopefully knows.
Passing the Ukraine aid bill is crucially important, and everyone reading this can do more than just admire Sen. King's speech. You can help make it happen.
Please call your Representative and urge them to press Speaker Johnson to bring it to the floor of the House for a vote. If you don't know their number call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Also, call Mike Johnson's office: (202) 225-4000.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
More than issues. Schmeekle is a needy, lonely isolate misanthrope calmed by outrageous ill-spoken diatribes that give him comfort and companionship in the middle of his lonely nights.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
Cut and paste is all you got. Loneliness is a disease from which you can’t seem to escape. Therefore I wholeheartedly recommend for you to be incarcerated for your own good and fully medicated for the good of society.
I compare them to our America First people like Charles Lindberg, who instantly dropped the views when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Internal disagreements seem to have been similarly dropped when attacked from the outside in Ukraine.
Our family had been stationed in Germany during the Nuremberg Trials and Berlin Airlift, so my mother in particular paid attention to what led so many Germans to first tolerate, then support Hitler, often saying Hitler was more popular in Germany than FDR was in the US. She could appreciate why the changes in support before and after WWII, when so any Germans seemed to again become rational,caring people though many still clung to some more non-violent antisemitism (such as expressed in the 1950 Passion Play at Oberammergau we attended). Last year, I rediscovered the media materials from that play in a footlocker we inherited, and articles like the following: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/08/oberammergau-passion-play-german-jewish-history/671026/
"How Hitler’s Favorite Passion Play Lost Its Anti-Semitism
A religious spectacle performed once a decade since 1634 in a Bavarian village finally erases its history of hatred.
By A.J. Goldmann"
I believe the more important figure than the 6 million Jews killed in work and death camps is that it was fully 1/3rd of all Jews in the territory the Germans controlled either alone or with conscripts from within the territories they took over. The people in many areas felt most oppressed and endangered by Soviets so there were many who felt they had to support the Germans to survive.
My mother made sure we saw films of "Russians" greeting Germans as saviors, only to be later killed by them. That always made me wonder why until I found those people cheering were most likely the Volgas Germans like John Denver's ancestors. See https://www.volgagermans.org/
A retired Professor at our college had gone to Russia about a quarter century ago to try to trace his Volga German ancestors only to find about 70% of them had been killed off quickly or in forced labor camps in Siberia.
Putting one's self in the position of many of citizens in those areas, imagine the choices of potential allies to prevent the greater damage to your groups. I imagine it like many inner city kids trying to stay out of gangs. What would they do if they truly had safer choices? What did they due when it became safe to leave the gangs?
What will Republicans do when it becomes after to leave their gang?
How long does it take to get back on the path to the real democracy with the least dwindling holdovers of links to ultra partisanship or gangs?
I suspect that Trump's campaign will eventually collapse under the weight of his legal woes, but not until he wins the Republican nomination (and then withdraws?).
The only posts I have ever reported are those that directly threaten violence. Anyone else, troll or not, is expressing their opinion. When it comes to long right wing posts by frequent commenters, I either read them for any useful perspective or just skip to the next post.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
Best to ignore, he has a whole truckload to cut and paste as soon as something starts. There is a real history involving the Nazis in WW2, but much of that was opposition to the Soviets, who had recently perpetrated the deaths of millions of Ukrainians, mainly agrarian farmer peasants, as the Soviets imposed collectivisation, and simply took food to feed Russian populations, and in resistance farmers often burned their own crops. It was also true that anti-semitism flourished in Ukraine, as it did just about everywhere in central and eastern Europe in those times, in fact was a widely held attitude throughout the West, though there was change in the wind. Germany in fact had promoted Jewish legal status for some time, prior to the rise of the Nazis, which remember was also a widespread social movement. No surprise that neo-Nazism still plays a role throughout the west, including, as we all well know, Germany and the good old USA. In short, it's "complicated", perhaps someone like Timothy Snyder would do well demolishing the stories exaggerating neo Nazi influence in Ukraine, and elsewhere.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
Also, everyone, I learned this morning that if you report a post, which I had never done before, it disappears from the comments section so I cannot read it.
So, I have reported all of Schmeeks posts and they are all magically gone!
If you are tired of seeing hundreds of Schmeek Russian propaganda, just report it and, boom, its gone.
I don't think it's a good idea to report or block all trolls because, as annoying as they are, they give us a peek into the dark minds that are trying so hard to defeat truth.
It disappears for you only. I hope you understand this. Substack is NOT going to universally block anyone. Get a handle on yourself. Perhaps the blog owner has blocking rights but not you.
C'mon Mike.., ferr crissakes delete what pops up on your screen. We all have a "delete" button. Hopefully that option won't get 'deleted' or we'll really be up-the-creek. While you're at it though, send me a better photo of you. You can see moi.., I'm driving my race boat down in Hinton W.VA APBA Nationals.., running up front I might add.
MadRussian12A - "delete what pops up on your screen. We all have a 'delete' button. Hopefully that option won't get 'deleted' or we'll really be up-the-creek."
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
I think you have the Russian line down pretty well. What you didn’t mention is why the Maiden occurred. Why Yanukovych was ousted. Yes, Ukraine has issues— I actually did some work in Ukraine and Russia. I digress and to the point: Russia invaded. They are the aggressor. Putin justifies this in many ways, but it is naked aggression and violates the Budapest Memorandum (1994). As one notes, the local folks (Baltic countries, Sweden, Finland, Moldova, and so on) have a pretty good idea of Russia’s larger intentions. With all respect due, HRC has a much handle on this than you.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
Why are you repeating yourself through cut and paste. You weaken your argument when yo do this. I’m not going to respond to some of your comments I can see you are a rant amateur. Go away.
John, we have Nazis here, too. Just look around in our military and police forces. American "militia"paramilitary forces are preparing for Trump to give the go ahead.
And scope out the House of Representatives. Aren't the Republicans acting like enemies of democracy?
Another thought...question for you: How do you feel about the fact that we incorporated the authoritarian genocide committing Communist Russians into a thing called the "Allies" - to fight Germany?
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
One thing is for sure, when delving into 'things of the past' that have been recorded in one way or the other it take alot of reading to draw a conclusion free of conjecture. Something I learned from my Father who was born in Russia in 1890. He saw and experienced a great deal first hand which he related to me as a teenager and which I quizzed him about. There is so much more than meets the eye, isn't there. But, above it all are the cultures which have developed beneath the blanket woven by those in power to suppress the will of people. Such is what we call communism, but which we, educated here in America, as well as other countries, don't have much of a clue today. Our use of the term "rule of law" and democracy as a way to steer clear of authoritarian rule goes right over the heads of the majority, because we have it so good in our daily lives. Don't we? Huh? Sorry.., but I think we do. We have it so good, we don't recognize it as the "blanket" is being pulled over us. And, it is an ill-woven blanket that Senator King spoke about. He's no hypocrite, and no rookie.
You are wildly misinformed about Ukraine. Please do more research yourself and talk to at least 20 Ukrainians. Don’t just listen to conspiracy theories and believe them at face value. Senator King is on the Security Council for a reason.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
Report him or block him. Several of us have already tried this but the moderators aren't willing to do anything about it I don't think. May if enough of us report or block him they will act.
If Putin wasn’t going to have a neutral Ukraine, then he was going to secure the Black Sea access, and the Russian speaking eastern provinces, in some form or fashion. He never had, imo, any interest in taking the whole of Ukraine; that would have been another Afghanistan.
Perhaps that was not P’s initial goal. (I’m being generous). It’s clear now that he is intent on killing every Ukrainian and talking over the entire country.
Tom, if that is the case, since he is now occupying eastern Ukraine, why is Putin continuing to bomb and kill Ukrainian men, women and children west of eastern Ukraine?
If you follow Putin's trajectory from the Stasi to the Kremlin, you will see that he is enamored of his scheme to restore the Soviet Union. And in the political expediency of embracing Russian nativism and religious extremism, he also wants to reestablish the Russian empire as a clerical fascist state.
For Putin it is about the power and the money. And he is adept at finding no end of 'useful idiots' to help him.
The lust for power and money is an equal opportunity employer. The useful idiots are the ones who refuse to acknowledge the role America plays in death, destruction and misery around the world, especially since the end of WWII. And the fact that Putin/Russia is a piker in comparison.
Richard, probably for the same reason any power continues to bomb its adversary when the initial military objective is all but complete: some combination of continuing to degrade the opponent, break the will of the population to resist, prevent the reinforcement of men/material, etc.
Here's a start. Much more to say, if time permits.
I remember the story about Saddam Hussein's soldiers dumping babies in the hospital out of incubators onto the floor to die. This story inflamed the whole country, including me, and helped justify our war against Iraq. Then, afterwards, it was widely reported that the story was a bare-faced lie.
I have seen much of the same in the barrage of propaganda against Russia, but I have no doubt that some of the stories of atrocities are true.
Isolated acts by military units are different from a systematic policy. I have been taking a wait-and-see attitude, remembering how we all got brainwashed in the past.
Regarding the "kidnapped" children, I remember reading that Russia relocated orphans from a war zone to safety in Russia. What's the true story, and how do we find out?
I think that, regarding why the war "unfroze" in 2022, Russia has a case that should be considered, and I think that there is a lot of misinformation exaggerating Russian atrocities, but I think that some atrocities definitely did happen, just like the United States did in Vietnam and Iraq. I said more in this reply:
My position is that we need to accept that we can't defeat the Russians militarily, which means that we'll eventually have to negotiate with them, so it makes sense to be aware of their side of the story and the underlying big picture.
Furthermore, our government is broke, and Congress is broken:
Biden's reckless policy, supported by leading Democrats and Republicans since Obama was President, has been to shore up Ukraine's thuggish government and use Ukraine as a weapon against Russia. America leaders, especially Biden, have foolishly undermined American national security and wasted military resources.
I've said more about Ukraine's brutal far-right thug regime here:
John, read what you just wrote and thought to myself: "Rationalization. Justification. Irrelevant." I never bought into the trumped-up reasons for our invading Iraq. Even if Saddam had had WMDs, he would never have used them. Why? Because Saddam enjoyed his power and if he had WMDs and used them, the U.S. would have irradiated him. Saddam wasn't stupid.
I wonder, if as you suggest there could be a negotiated solution to Putin's claim of eastern Ukraine to be under Russian hegemony, Putin didn't go to an International Court and make the claim?
The U.S. NATO and the West have no recourse but to stop this naked aggression in its tracks. What we're really defending in Ukraine is Western Democracy.
I disagree that we're defending "western democracy" in Ukraine, which has becom a corrupt, far-right thuggish one-party police state.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
This all comes down to a very simple issue. Can an increasingly interconnected world in which disasters in one area spread like the proverbial ripples out and out from the place where the little pebble was dropped into the calm water ignore those who are constantly dropping those pebbles and troubling the water we now all share. Long gone is the time when we were protected by oceans and mountains and rivers and deserts from the places roiled by those disposed to mayhem beyond their borders for their own selfish purposes. Whatever the governmental situation is in the Ukraine is up to the Ukrainians to solve as they will as long as it stays inside their borders and does not impinge on the rest of us. But to allow someone like Putin, as big a thug as any man alive right now, to derange the European order beyond his borders, and because of our interconnectedness, that of the rest of us as well is something we can no longer ignore. This is not ideology but simple practical world politics. Once one lets a mad dog out of his kennel, all efforts must be made to eliminate him or put him back in or the whole neighborhood is at risk.
1. We genocided the Russians (killed off all the old people) with the "shock therapy" of the 1990s.
2. After Yeltsin's coup d'etat against the Russian parliament and his consequent dependence on President Clinton to prop him up, we reneged on our promise to not expand NATO to the east.
3. We meddled in Ukraine with a "color revolution" in 2004, but the Ukrainians voted the old guy back in, because Russian speakers had a slight majority.
4. We cultivated neo-Nazis to make the next "color revolution" stick, and we unleashed this madness on Ukraine in the 2014 Maidan Revolution.
5. We enslaved Ukraine to the IMF, which made Ukraine promise to re-conquer the breakaway Donbass republics.
6. The NATO countries (who have voting domination at the IMF) built up the Ukrainian army for rhe coming attack.
7. Zelensky reneged on his campaign promise to bring peace to the Donbass and instead made peace with neo-Nazi war-mongers and pledged to keep Ukraine's promise to the IMF.
8. Ukraine built up a 3-to-1 troop majority on the Donbass line of contact -- the recommended ratio for an invasion.
9. Russia signed a mutual defense pact with the Donbass republics.
10. Ukraine began its pre-invasion bombardment as Ukrainian oligarchs fled the country and Lloyd's of London stopped reinsuring Ukrainian cargoes.
11. Russia, under the guise of its mutual defense pact, counter-attacked.
Your take is rather at some odds with others I've read. Given the complexity of the situation, this is not surprising. What emerges for me is a scenario not unlike that in the Balkans in the years before WWI and later. You'll recall that the German Otto von Bismarck remarked in 1888 that if war came to Europe it would be because of 'some damned foolish thing in the Balkans", which while hardly an unlikely prediction given the crazy quilt of tribalism, nationalism, racism, reactionary power struggles, empire builders, boundary fiascos, and the increasing level of anarchic activities by nihilists in the region, did prove prophetic, and then, as the poet Wilfred Owen once noted 'but the old man would not, but slew his son, and half the seed of Europe, one by one". To sort out the tribal conflicts which have bedeviled Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East for over two millennia and more has taken the best efforts of a good many historians, and those conflicts have resulted in more sheer madness and bloodshed than in any other place and time in our long history. So you'll forgive me if I see your take as more about taking one side against others than an objective description of the events in question. What makes me think so? Your use the language of partisanship rather than that of an objective observer.
If you want to read my mini dissertation on the subject, read my blog and my most recent entry “Wars.” There are more than a few points that I don’t disagree with you on. My main thesis is that most wars are unnecessary. And Ukraine was one such example. I had no problem arguing that it should have been a buffer for Russia. I get it. I accept it as my logic compels me. But that ship has sailed. It’s now necessary to either win this or likely, a negotiated settlement because the nuke option is off the table. You can’t win a war with threats of nuclear war.
The thought that we can win this war doesn't appear much these days. I agree with your thought of a negotiated settlement, but it might be awful late in the game for that. Calculations of relative strength and waning western support could keep Russia motivated to seize all of the four provinces they have partially occupied, plus Kharkov. I suspect that Russia won't push toward Odessa unless there is some sort of inviting Ukrainian collapse.
He’s not alone. There are plenty of rational people opposed to the U.S. role in the proxy war in Ukraine, not just the GOP elected officials. And the latter is not a monolithic group. Some are just tribal hack extremists, others express legitimate foreign policy concerns. Whether they believe them or not, that’s another subset question.
Thank you for sharing Sen. King’s eloquent remarks that crystallize the momentous stakes in the budget fight over Ukraine.
I never thought I would live to see the day when so many members of Congress would support someone as evil as Putin. It’s beyond shameful. Perhaps one day we’ll learn they have a personal financial reason for doing so.
Or is traitor Trump’s hold on them so great that they willingly work against the foreign policy interests of the nation and its allies?
"This is a battle for the soul of our democracy in the world"… To know one of the two major parties in our democracy is on the side of Authoritarianism says it all. The Rethuglicans are prepared to eat their young.
Craig & JL, the final tally in the Special Election in Texas House District 2 per the Texas Secretary of State has been counted. The Abbott supported Bill (not joking) Money boasting of an 11 lead in a poll lost to the new District 2 Representative JILL DUTTON.
Jill Dutton 6822
Bill Money 6715
After elections you must count the votes ... even In Texas District 2. Confirmed by The Texas Tribune.
On page 183 of the Heritage Project 2025 report it says, Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereign nation against Russia. Even as they describe Ukraine as the most corrupted country in the world. However, it said, once Agent Orange or whomever, is elected the funding will go away.
Hostage negotiating skills are a requirement for the House of Representatives. This is bullshit that a few can hold this country hostage.
The MAGAQ shit-for-brains better start looking for a lawyer. Jack Smith is coming for them. Jack, Jack he's are man. If he can't do it, no one can. Go Jack!
And Aileen Cannon and the weirdo judge in TX that blocked mifepristone. I'm sure there are many other judges that Leo got through the Senate that are equally as deplorable.
Fortunately, the Democrats in the Senate have approved 40 appellate judges and 172 Federal judges overall.
Several judges are pending as well including mid-level appellate judges.
The Democrats are thankfully reversing so of the damage TFFG and Leo did under Trump. And not ALL of the Leo judges are far-right religious zealots like Gorsuch, Comey-Barrett and Kavanaugh.
Gary, Amy Barrett belongs to a cult. Her father has been asked to take over said cult. Amy removed any mention that she is a member the cult from social media. They all support the mega billionaires donors that put them there.
It is reported in the Heritage Project on page 242 that all forms of medical means that supports abortion will not be available in the future. We have corruption at the highest level of the food chain. Our Supreme Court. They are the means to the end of our civil rights. This is Leo's Court.
That SOB is dangerous and toxic. I'm not counting on the church to hold anyone accountable.
You should see what they have planned for us. A return to one room school houses. According to them racism doesn't exit. It's sown in fabric of our nation.
Oh hohoho... Lisa59, your eloquent use of the vernacular.. " MAGAQ S--- For brains" is so dead on. Such an un-adulterated POS, and his party of rectum-detainees.
Show me one place in the world where democracy is working out. It’s just another form of corruption. Certainly the US is the prime example of how not to run a country.
That’s the point of democracy, that the people have the power to change the government. If the government is authoritarian or totalitarian, then only the person is charge has that power. If we lose our democracy, we lose everything. If we want something different, then we do need to be active and change it. I am an avid supporter of democracy but I agree that parts of our government are broken. And I am getting more involved as I get older.
A year ago I traveled to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Have you ever left your own county K. to see what the rest of the world is like?
I'm sorry to say this, but compared to all 3 of those countries the US is a second world country. There are many political parties in these countries, not just two. Right now we have one party which is hell bent on doing as little as possible just to get their demagogue reelected. There may be Fascist parties in the Scandinavian countries, but they will never control the government there.
unfortunately, the Netherlands -- a great country too -- has a right-winger on top of government because he got 27% of the vote. And he won because there were too many parties vying.
There was another article on Finland the other day written about a man from Columbia that moved to Finland who said there were a few customs that took a little time to get used to.
Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to have difficulty telling capitalism from democracy. The capitalist system is skewed towards billionaires and authoritarians. Democracy is a participatory form of government, votes in the booth are equal.
Absolutely agree that people have trouble telling the difference. I see fundamental problems with the U.S. system:
- Capitalism is largely unregulated, creating extraordinary inequities and other problems.
- The wealthy pay extremely low taxes compared to other rich nations.
- The Supreme Court allows the rich to game the system — especially the way money flows unchecked into campaigns.
- The Constitution, as revolutionary as it was when written, was made much too difficult to change. Thus its many flaws in today's world, which we could discuss for hours. The Electoral College, which is anything but democratic, is chief among the flaws.
Yeah, ok. Pack your bags- you are free to go. There are many countries waiting your presence, Russia, perhaps?
In a democracy, you have a voice. Use that voice in a totalitarian government and let me know how that works out for you. Our Contribution cements us in a democracy- everything else is up for change. Say that somewhere else and then report back to us.
C'mon PT, we're a work-in-progress, including Trainwreck #45. If you're not independently wealthy, pick another country where you would want to grow up and spend the rest of your life in. Really. Go there. And while yer packing up, forget about taking any social security benefits etc, IRA's, 401K's, your ATV, M/C's, Sno-mobile, 25' center console boat, your Tahoe, your Cessna 182, that huge BBQ grill, and any 'return passport'... (you're not coming back). Have a nice day.
Their number one interests are obviously "not" what they were sent to do for their districts and America. When we get around to fixing some things needing fixed, some serious contemplation and action needs lent to the notions of how to remove congress critters and wacko's in the SCOTUS.
"Originalists" is and has been nothing more than a misnomer at best and a self professing narrative to peddle for the sake of borrowing credibility, where none or little is due.
Are people not willing to just say that we're seeing 100% oppositional Republicans literally not knowing how to understand the situation in any complexity at all? Whatever descriptive adjectives you want to use to cover this phenomenon just look at their behavior itself. They are advertising their own ignorance blatantly. So I am led to believe they don't have what it takes upstairs. We should never be electing people this incompetent, no matter what party they're in.
The MAGAQ group purpose is to create chaos. They are chosen, financially supported by billionaires to carry the water for their Autocratic takeover. This is part if the plan. Not a fluke. It's intentional. They are loving this. They are spending billions to watch it burn to the ground. If anyone needs to understand why we are here.
Read the guide to how to build an Autocracy from the ground up...Project 2025. It's all there. Why this isn't on the front page of every paper is mind blowing to me.
Yes. People in cults follow the leader without thinking for themselves. Is it currently 32% of the general US population dyed-in-the-wool blind followers?
Robin, I agree. It seems like a trickle down: I am convinced that #45 has a lower than average IQ. Would love to see psychological testing supporting that! So the people following him (Bobert, MTG for instance) also have n idea what is going on in the government and no interest in finding out. My observation…
Margaret, outrageous it is!! MTG is the epitome of acrimony, rancor, bitterness, malice spite and nastiness. All synonyms of Gall. Since when have we last someone of her lack of character tell everyone else what to do? Where are the House members who used to have some integrity, and why are they allowing her to be so important? Well, I know why. Because they don't want to get on the bad side of Trump. ( Wait, is there a Good side to Trump??)
I just don't understand how we have let this happen. But, what do I know?
Michael - Read Prequel, by Rachel Maddow. I was stunned by the number of American congress members that were involved with the Nazis as well as high ranking members of the military. History rhymes and we are in a rhyming time. Follow the money is the basic truth of how a democracy dies. CONservatives for years have been influenced by money form Russia. At one time that was a death nail for politics because was a communist state. Putin is a Soviet communist that has welcomed the American money. in the last number of years he has turned that money to buying American politicians. Follow the money.....
"Perhaps one day we’ll learn they have a personal financial reason for doing so."
For sure Trump has long received and laundered money from Russia ("his" Scottish Golf course was entirely funded by laundered money). Perhaps Putin was so successful with the ease with which Trump does his bidding for money that he has added more Republicans to the "on the laundered money take" list.
I would only be surprised if Putin is NOT paying Republicans like Stefanik through laundered money at this point.
But?? Question: Is it illegal for white people to take laundered money from Russia? I don't think so because, one of the western states of the US, I no longer remember which one, was the largest money laundering entity on the planet for Russia for a long time. Maybe still is.
So, IF we learn that half of Republicans are taking laundered money, I don't think it is illegal here in the good ole USA.
"A Reuters review found that at least 63 individuals with Russian passports or addresses have bought at least $98.4 million worth of property in seven Trump-branded luxury towers in southern Florida."
It's both - financial and Trump's hold. Trump's influence gets them re-elected or not. That keeps them in a powerful political position that gains them tremendous financial benefits. Neither would sway elected "leaders" with any sort of integrity or ethical values; but, that's not where we're at - is it? :-(
It boggles my mind that any elected official would put the interests of another country, ESPECIALLY Russia, over our own national security. Heck no! Putin would not stop with Ukraine. The current Republican party is traitorous.
I think it's the last one. He represents everything they want--control over the rest of us, retaliation for being mocked for their ridiculous ideas, stuffing everyone back in the closet. I think they've glommed onto him because he makes it ok to be a homophobe and racist.
For his part, he just needs adoration. He's like a sci fi villain whose power is based on worship from his cultists.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
Trump is all about red meat. Carnage is his currency and lexicon.
I was reminded of this when writing a post tonight about the most important Covid studies from this past month. One of the analyses published in the BMJ found that thousands of frontline workers died in the US because of misleading federal leadership and a muzzled CDC that was also much too slow to admit the airborne nature of this virus.
And yet Trump had the power to wield the Defense Production Act. Making N95 masks would haves saved many of those front line workers in the darkest days. He invoked the Act once - to compel meatpackers to keep packing meat. More meat. More death.
This man trades in carnage on ever more massive scales as he threatens to destroy the post WWII world order and our relative peace from his perch in the peanut gallery.
Yep. I lost a good friend and a talented, experienced, internationally renowned pediatric neurosurgeon because there was not enough PPE in NY City hospitals.
Thank you. The situation in NYC hospitals in March of 2020 was like a war zone. Our friend was one of many health care professionals that lost their lives, in no small part due to the arrogance and ineptitude of the Trump administration. There were over a thousand people online for his memorial service, patients, patients’ parents, colleagues, and friends. He is still missed. I will never forgive Trump for his ignorance and arrogance in managing the Covid pandemic.
I am so sorry also, Sky. He must’ve been a very special person. Yes, everywhere, precious people were lost but nobody worked (still do) harder than doctors, nurses, and staff at trying to keep people alive. I have a friend who is over the nurses union and she got horrible Covid in spite of being vaccinated because of those who did not. Almost lost my sister-in-law because of her stubbornness. Now she is a big advocate for vaccines.
Glad to hear your SiL survived and saw the light on vaccines.
Our friend traveled the world giving lectures and performing surgeries often in areas of the world where medical care is not widely available. When in NYC he trained young doctors in the art of neurosurgery for babies and children. It has to be one of the most difficult fields in medicine. And he did it for decades with joy and compassion and tremendous skill and determination. He is missed.
Sky 777, your comment here has chased me down a rabbit hole.
There is an "Officer Down Memorial Page" that lists all of the officers who die "in the line of duty", that is, as a direct result of their law enforcement duties. In 2020 and 2021, the LODD for Covid was through the roof. The annual rate of LODD is somewhere around 200 (some digging that I don't have enough coffee on board for; the assessment goes beyond the felonious murder of cops to include "accidental" deaths (training, vehicle/plane crashes, natural disaster response, and the like). In 2020 346 Covid related deaths, all of those meeting the criteria for a LODD (direct, documentable as a result of working in law enforcement).
In medicine, it was even worse. Every one of those deaths lies at the foot of fpotus.
Yes. The pandemic was always going to be bad. It did not have to be as bad as it was. The excess morbidity and mortality is on tfg. And he, being who he is, is unaware and uncaring.
Don't get me started Ryan. Both of my kids (kids ?) have been and still are, front line 'cannon fodder' as ER professionals. Almost lost the youngest one who got covid from an ER coworker who was still a 'denier' owing to the politics. My youngest ended up in her own ER - twice, in very dire shape. *Just had my first look at your page; Philly's a great place; I've got a nephew in college there. Cheers
We could get each other started, and the outrage could fill volumes. I'm sorry that your beloved kids (they are always your children) are still in harm's way. With vaccinations and the option to use an N95 the situation is so much better, but I recall the terror quite well. It's not over, just better.
The oldest is an ER PAc ; the youngest is an ER RN,++. The way we've grown into 'our' roles is to be their "outlet" for the stressful days when they just need to get 'stuff' out of their heads; as you would know, they can't name - names, but we get to be their 'sounding boards' and grateful to do it. As you might also know, medical careers aren't limited to them alone; for the sake of their own 'self care' one might as well call it a 'family choice.' Likely, I don't need elaborate that to death for your understanding - thank goodness. *Aside: Both daughters are saddled with debts, so the RN++ is going back 'on the road' as a travel ER nurse .. again. We live just south of Cleveland Ohio and she is off to Waupaca, Wi. to serve 7 weeks at their hospital ER. I'm wondering if your extended 'network' has any connections there or near there ? It's a little far for my comfort; some connection would be heaven sent. Cheers friend ~
I keep being dumbfounded that this orange skidmark won't go away. Other presidents go build houses for homeless people, or at the minimum paint pictures of their feet in the bathtub . That he won't go away is some mental illness.
Most of America doesn't want to think about the covid menace many of us didn't survive. As a very sick child with asthma, it terrified me. We have a crisis of medical care providers in this country and the "president" at that time is to blame for a part of it. Thank you for reminding us, it's one more thing to pin on the execrable excuse of a man.
But Trump made the "bleach discovery"! It, along with horse de-wormer, could have saved many lives, right? /s
Seriously, here's a followup question: Do we NOW manufacture N95 masks in the US? And what percentage of our everyday essential drugs (or their components) do we still import and NOT manufacture here? How vulnerable are we?
All good questions, and worthy of a deep dive. So many disqualifying moments, and the bleach one would have destroyed the career of anyone else but a cult figure.
We were making N95 masks here & had the ability to produce 1.7 million per week. In Jan 2020, Prestige Ameritech in Texas, asked for government assistance to start up his 3 lines that had been mothballed. He was getting increasing orders from China & wanted to keep his product in the US, but he needed the government to actually order them if they wanted them. Instead Peter Navarro turned his back them & gave 55 million to a training company that never made masks. The US made deals to buy masks for 5.50 each. In April, they finally decided to buy some from Prestige for 79 cents each. Those lines that could have made 7million N95s a month here in the US, were idle for the entire pandemic.
My husband is a kidney transplant patient, as is a friend. They had a 75 percent of dying prior to the vaccinations. It kills me to hear that masks don’t make a difference & vaccines don’t work. When he finally got it 3 vaccines in, it was a day of discomfort.
I'm so glad you and many others faced these much better odds later in the pandemic game. We talk about percentages, and relative/absolute risk reductions... but when we see faces, hear stories, and consider the human beings involved in these cold numbers, it is really hard to stay dispassionate and cynical about science and all it has provided.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
Pardon me for posting a link without context; it's to the video of Senator King's speech. Heather's letter covered *all* of the salient points, but I found it worth watching.
We now have a domestic terrorist organization masquerading as one of the two major political parties. I appreciate what Senator King said, but he should’ve gone further in my opinion. He should’ve called for the expulsion from Congress of all who support Putin by supporting Trump. He should’ve called Trump the seditionist criminal he is. At this time in our history, we need leaders who are even bolder than Senator King to lead us out of the darkness.
You can imagine that it must have been a daily topic amongst those of good will, just to get the jobs done - the real work. I do hope history gives Nancy and Chuck all of the credit that their due - which is much.
Yes.I agree.These traitors in Congress who aided and abetted the POTUS who tried to overthrow our democracy and tried to negate the results of my legally cast ballot should not be representing constituents.These people do not believe Biden is our legitimate POTUS and need to be 14th Amendmented out of office.All of them .
Unfortunately, Senator King receives threats from the MAGANAZIs the same as every other Democrat that dares to speak the truth. I think he showed courage by giving this speech. No reason to go over board.
Those of us who have lived in Maine know that most Mainers are fine folks. But there IS a scary MAGA paramilitary bunch out there. I hope Angus has a good security detail.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
For fucks sake, John. Do you have an issue with boundaries? Do people tell you to stop and you refuse to listen to them? Do you enjoy sucking the oxygen out of the room? There are hundreds of sites to project your Putin talking points.
“For his part, King said, “I want to stand on the side of resisting authoritarianism, on the side of democracy...” and I too want to stand on the side of democracy and justice and freedom. Stand up, speak up and keep working together. We have too much to lose to give up now or ever. Thank you Professor for joining History with the present and the future. For our children and grandchildren and all the tomorrows.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
Yes, of course Senator Angus King speaks from accurate history and for a similarly apt truth today.
And trailer trash Majorie Taylor Gazpacho speaks for the entirely opposite. Not fantasy (that would be too easy, too much in the realm of the predictably constant lying such as from her hero the fat, orange fraud, the doddering, bing-bong-bing-bong idiot rapist).
They eat their own -- that's the truth opposite Senator Angus King's. Just as do the demons in Koyoharu Gotōge's "Demon Slayer," the truly demented go not just in clown car circles, but in rotations involving murder (and eating) of each other.
Phil Balla, please think twice when you call people names. My parents, my 4 siblings & I grew up living in a “trailer” and never did we think we were trailer trash, nor poor or anything else negative. Speak your passion with more thought than a description of people doing the best they can and I’m as passionate as anyone in this community of Americans. I realize you spoke be gore you considered what I just said. End of story. Let’s focus on what we’re dealing with here, and work together to save Ukraine and in doing so saving our own Democracy
The open secret of liberty and justice is we guard our own by protecting that of others.
"Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." - Lincoln
Not merely calling names, Pat -- but locating fools in homicidally dangerous contexts.
My own mother grew up without running water, central heating, or electricity in the hills of pre-TVA east Tennessee. But I loved and respected all that family there. I read the Appalachian writers from their beginnings to the time in the 1970s when I began writing tributes to many of them myself.
No correlation between anyone's poverty then and the dignity which shone for most.
And only most sensitive correlation now, in the aftermath of how our billionaire classes offshored the millions of working-class jobs, leaving so many historically as vulnerable to OxyContin and Fentanyl as were the Russian working classes vulnerable to worse after their oligarchs stole all their public assets.
(Side note, it was U.S. financiers -- many Ivy League grads -- who invested in the former Soviet nomenklatura, floating the oligarchs there thus to do their damages.)
And "THAT" is the key. I am a "none" when it comes to "faith". But I grew up being taught that EMPATHY and kindness were key elements of a Christian life. I guess now there is another kind of Christian - probably channeling the Crusaders slaughtering the Muslims.
Agreed, Talia. In referring to MTG, I meant that she had no prior governmental or legal experience. I know its “a thing” that people don’t want to vote for politicians, but it seems foolish. My goodness, you’ve got to have some understanding of legal matters and protocol if you are going to be part of a legislative body. I always say that I wouldn’t hire an electrician to repair my roof!
And how to explain those who vote for an uneducated vulgarian traitorous fraud with mahogany pancake makeup on face only and translucent combover, silver or brown depending on the day? I guess she IS his type. Maybe.
The wealthy believe he will get them more money. The middle class and poor are in thrall. It’s a strange thing to observe. Like a teenage crush on a movie star. Oh yes, and he will get rid of everyone and everything they don’t like. Then they can get back to living their “Leave it to Beaver” lives.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
But Report is the way to get him blocked, that only problem is it only takes the one post. I wish reporting him should take out all of his posts. He is a fake.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
1. If you come across a post that you think violates the Content Guidelines, you can report this to our Trust & Safety team by clicking on the three dots menu on a profile and selecting "Report".
We support Ukraine not because it’s a nice, charitable gesture, we support Ukraine because it is very much in our national interest to do so.
I believe if one asked Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, et al about the Sudetenland in 1938 one would get a blank stare and a “Huh?” One doubts that King’s magnificent speech registered at all in the minds of those most in need of a history lesson.
It’s a sad day for the United States when I almost applaud Mitch-the-Switch McConnell for being one of the few ‘right headed’ Republicans in Congress.
Meanwhile, many of the Turkey Turd Trumpites are traitors to the United States of America on such vital matters as Ukraine, immigration on the border, and funding our government’s ongoing operations.
Angus King gave them a Thomas Paine COMMON SENSE oration that, in normal times, would shame these TTT. Alas, they are too shameful to feel shame.
It certainly is a relief to read there is still a mature adult in the room. Words by Sen. King affirms there is a sense of Honor, yet, amongst the cowards who shame our Country.
Such an impressive speech by Sen. Angus King. Thank you Heather for putting your spotlight on it.
Remember John Dean's testimony before Congress about Nixon: (Dean): I think that there's no doubt about the seriousness of the problem we've got. We have a cancer within—close to the presidency, that's growing. It's growing daily. It's compounding." That was 50 years ago. The cancer has returned.
John Dean on our current case, published in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/05/watergate-50th-anniversary-john-dean-interview
The cancer has metastasized. It now infects the entire Republican Party.
Cheryl, it is interesting how this "cancer," racism, has existed so long in this country. We went through Reconstruction, then Jim Crow, the KKK and now MAGA/KKK. The present day Republican Party is now racist to its core. In fairness to the Evangelicals, while they want to establish Christianity (their version) as the official U.S. religion, many are still motivated to support Trump by pure, unadulterated racism. Perhaps Marx was right: Religion is the "opiate of the masses." Marx argues that religion is an ideological tool that legitimates and defends the interests of the dominant, wealthy classes in the population. It does so in part by placating the poor and exploited classes. Thomas Frank explains this in "What's the Matter with Kansas?"
While I agree that racism is a large part of it, it has gone beyond that to worship of power and greed among the top and their use of the plebs by riling them and making sure they are well armed. The latest Taylor Swift nonsense is one current example. Women, anyone not heterosexual, anyone who is not a Christian: all these are enemies also. It also appeals to a certain nastiness found in many who want to do and say anything and now they can.
It’s all been normalized-the worst behaviors are now fully on display.
And they blame the Democrats!
Well, most Christians are Christians in name (CINO). The Taylor Swift thing is ridiculous. 1st amendment: freedom of speech: trump is big on it so he can threaten (execute Milley) and insult, pressure people( the border bill), tell lies and misrepresent facts. What has Taylor done? I think she simply told people to vote.
Thank you, Richard Sutherland. You reminded me of the Marx assignment from sophomore world history class (1953). I found Marx (it was Cold War days) quite acceptable. It was Lenin’s and later Stalin’s Marx that completely corrupted his original writing. When we think of the world in which Marx was writing, he was “revolutionary” as were our Founding Fathers.
Virginia As a college senior in 1955, I took a course on the Soviet Union taught by a professor who had served in our Moscow embassy. I learned to prefer Groucho over Karl Marx.
In 1957 I read Djilas’s THE NEW CLASS. Djilas had been a Yugoslav vice president under Tito until he became disillusioned with communist rule. His book described, in insider detail, how communism (Marxism gone bonkers?) badly served the people and created a privileged ‘new class.’
In 1958 I gave a copy of this book to President Nasser, suggesting that this was occurring with the Egyptian military. Though he didn’t heed my advice, I know that he ordered some members of the Revolutionary Command Council to read it.
Keith, I lived with a couple of refugees from the war in the former Yugoslavia, and met many more. These folks occasionally waxed nostalgic for the he days under Tito- because he did not allow religious persecution and people had learned to live in peace. After Tito, the war pitted Orthodox Christian vs Muslim vs Catholic and the leaders promoted religious bigotry and violence. It was quite a relief to come here, even though former doctors, judges, managers ended up as house painters and janitors.
You may be driving me to go back to read the bit of Marx that impressed me as not what Russia was about, which made me think that what he wrote was not what Stalin was about (when I read that he was the son of a drunken cobbler who beat him, I understood who he was), and later when I learned of Gorbachev as “friend” of CIA agent who was friend of friend, I added that to my bits of Russian history. Russians read Marx too!
Not enough of those ruling Egypt read that book, Keith.
It was due to the massive corruption of Egyptian officials that young Egyptian doctors, other health workers, and young Egyptian intellectuals -- along with visiting young Saudis and others -- finally in the 1990s formed al-Qaeda.
Saddest part of all this, the U.S. quite officially covered for the corrupt Egyptians. American money paid for the Egyptian ruler's arms. The U.S. military trained the Egyptian secret police in their ways of cruelty.
Marx was describing the conditions in England during the 19th century Industrial Revolution and they were truly appalling. He expected the change to take place in industrial countries, not primarily agricultural ones like Russia and China. What happened in both those places was the trading of one autocracy for another kind of autocracy, hence not exactly revolutions at all. Putin and Xi are the latest iterations of tsar and emperor.
To me that's a frightening thought. Steve Bannon once identified himself as a Leninist, and the idea of "Deconstructing the Deep State," is directly from those leanings. America First, the group working with Trump for his "second term" has plans to do just that in "schedule F" which is meant to take benefits from career bureaucrats.
I will suggest that the slow-but-steady "darkening" of America, as one state after another loses its White majority, fuels the unreasoning anxiety that Trump has so successfully tapped into.
John, I love the deflection. Commonly, it's known as white racism, or, as you put it, "unreasoning anxiety." Thank you for this. In time, somewhere down the road, the entire human race with have a skin with a darker hue. Apparently, that's how we started until mutations came along.
I think that "white racism" doesn't, by itself, capture the despairing sense that "they" are overtaking "us" and Biden left the door open, too.
You mean the Republican Potty....
Cheryl, I would agree there is a cancer in our politics. However, I disagree that it has infected "the entire Republican Party"- just the MAGA-subset.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why decent politicians remain in the cult that the GOP has become. It is not just racist, it has a sick Puritan sex twist embodied by Mike Johnson, and a “women as chattel” undertone.
In recent weeks I have heard Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney state the desire to restore the party. You might as well decide to restore a bowl of chicken salad into your pet chicken.
I hope some respected leaders of the rump GOP find the nerve, money, and energy to start a new party. This one is beyond salvage.
It certainly seems so.
Most republicans who bucked the maga trend have resigned or been drummed out of the party. See Jeff Flake, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger et al. A very few are left, like Romney or possibly Lankford but we’d be hard pressed to come up with many names, and Lankford has been censured by his state Republican Party. It’s pretty magafied.
https://youtu.be/37mnCQrQmYo?si=dD07-lqohOOKfgYH
Adam Kinsinger on the Republican Party
I wish I had time to watch all of that! Adam Kinzinger is a pretty appealing guy here. Thanks, Mary Pat.
Maga controls the party Ed. They are no longer a subset. True Republicans allowed it by their silence or refusal to use the GOP bully pulpit for what the party stands for. Silence is ammo for the agressor.
Richard In retrospect [I was on the Nixon White House Enemies List] Watergate and its aftermath was skin cancer. Trumpistism is cancer metastasized. It has the likelihood of spreading through the American body unless it is surgically and promptly removed
And how do you propose to extract the cancer from the Republican Potty? How do you do that when you have one MAGA extremist threatening to over throw another major one from his speakership if he proposes a bill to fund Ukraine? I believe that when you're dealing with such extreme stupidity, it's definitely stage four....
Sophia Realistically, this may be a task for a forensic specialist, removing it from a dead body.
First a Kool-Aid party?
Sad, but true, Keith. And perhaps some Greed will go with it. Maybe we could focus on cleanup (soils, air, education, tax structure, etc.) instead of more money.
It will be interesting to see what the New Party will take on as its central reason for being. What of the Lincoln Project is useful?
John Dean, having been through something somewhat similar before, definitely knows what he's talking about. He's bright enough to see what's happening now. It makes Watergate look like an ice cream sundae without the whipped cream and cherry. What's happening now is right out in the open. How can people be so blind? Denial is very strong.
His book Authoritarian Nightmare is excellent.
Thanks for the tip! I've read Dean's earlier books, and they were all very good. It's amazing how helpful he has been since he turned around after Nixon.
Older and wiser? We forget that wisdom and age can go together! Think what fat has been shown to do to the brain and the obesity epidemic in America.
Richard, I just r ad the article you referenced. Thank you. With Nixon the guard rails were still in place and holding. The Republican Party was not a cult of thugs, clowns and cowards. And Nixon himself had a “ sense of shame “ and respect/ fear of the law. What is going on now is scary.
Thanks for this article, Richard. It takes me back to those bad old days. The thing I’m really struck with today, is that Watergate went from the burglary to the resignation in about 2 1/2 years! Look at how slowly the wheels of justice grind now. In fact I’m reminded of Dickens’ Great Expectations!
Thank you Heather for posting the highlights of your and many of your reader's Senator's speech. We are very fortunate to have such a thoughtful and well spoken statesman as one if our representatives in Washington. And to have you Heather, bring us the daily news highlights and the history to go with them.
Thank you for sharing the Guardian article Gary. I can’t help but think that Dean’s “knots in his stomach” have grown back bigger today than with Nixon’s presidency.
A speech we only know about because we subscribe to HCR. Thank you for keeping us informed. And King is absolutely right. I think of the people murdered by Hitler because we wouldn't let a ship full of Jewish refugees dock. Unfortunately, the MAGANAZIS are making us into the Cadre of bad guys.
...trying to.
I agree with you on King’s wonderful speech! Bravo!❤️
DRound: Senator Angus King is, indeed, one of our best, and he is historically informed, as befits a U.S. Senator.
Senator King eloquently defended core values.
Senator King seems to have covered the field fully, and it would be hard to add to the fullness of his discourse.
Senator King's speech might help us and others reflect not just on what opponents of Ukraine funding are saying and doing, but also why. Is the rhetoric knee-jerk opposition for its own sake or are they puppets easily manipulated by followers who are equally blind?
499 readers of this fine column agreed with Angus King’s strong comments but have we done anything individually to help move immediate help for Ukraine? Time is running very short and a tragic world disaster awaits us unless we (I really mean you and I individually) do something meaningful to help them? Here’s what each of us can do today and it will take only a few minutes and it will cost us nothing: 1) please place one call to each of your two Senators today and leave a message that they should insist that the Senate move a bill asap to fund UKRAINE’s defense against Russian aggression! 2) Please follow up next week with another call and ask if your Senators did anything to move bill along? 3) Can you ask a few friends via email to do the same thing? Yes, this kind of grassroots pressure can have results from time to time!!
BTW ages and ages ago, Angus King was a very helpful high school student who assembled boxes of direct mail for me when I ran a campaign of a moderate Democrat for the Senate against the segregationist Byrd Machine in Virginia. Angus is and has been a wonderful Senator!
If only Main Stream Media would focus on this. Really show how Republicans are the ones putting our Democracy and our standing in the world at stake.
DRound, Agree totally with your comment,”impressive” and so on point. Now how do we get this message to be heard on MSM or get Midas Touch Network to have commentary on this eloquent message. Or maybe get it posted on You tube, or other social media apps. I am ignorant on how to get this done but someone here hopefully knows.
Passing the Ukraine aid bill is crucially important, and everyone reading this can do more than just admire Sen. King's speech. You can help make it happen.
Please call your Representative and urge them to press Speaker Johnson to bring it to the floor of the House for a vote. If you don't know their number call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Also, call Mike Johnson's office: (202) 225-4000.
For more information, and the phone numbers of six other influential "traditional Republican" House members to call, please see my Substack post from yesterday: https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/call-to-action-help-pass-ukraine
.
Thank you Heather and thank you Angus King. We do need to help Ukraine and others in need. Bruce Gordon
Angus King, from what I now know about him, should be listened to by all of us.
The work goes on. Yes...excellent speech.
Ukraine deserves our full support; they will receive it soon.
Very significant that the EU is coming forward with $50 billion now. Money talks.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
Please disregard John. He has issues.
More than issues. Schmeekle is a needy, lonely isolate misanthrope calmed by outrageous ill-spoken diatribes that give him comfort and companionship in the middle of his lonely nights.
He—if it’s an actual person—is a troll, and the last living fan of the late, unlamented Lyndon LaRouche.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
Cut and paste is all you got. Loneliness is a disease from which you can’t seem to escape. Therefore I wholeheartedly recommend for you to be incarcerated for your own good and fully medicated for the good of society.
Fascist Bill Katz favors an old Soviet policy: Incarcerate and medicate those who dare speak truth to power.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/lev-golinkin-azov-ukraine-neo-nazis
I compare them to our America First people like Charles Lindberg, who instantly dropped the views when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Internal disagreements seem to have been similarly dropped when attacked from the outside in Ukraine.
Our family had been stationed in Germany during the Nuremberg Trials and Berlin Airlift, so my mother in particular paid attention to what led so many Germans to first tolerate, then support Hitler, often saying Hitler was more popular in Germany than FDR was in the US. She could appreciate why the changes in support before and after WWII, when so any Germans seemed to again become rational,caring people though many still clung to some more non-violent antisemitism (such as expressed in the 1950 Passion Play at Oberammergau we attended). Last year, I rediscovered the media materials from that play in a footlocker we inherited, and articles like the following: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/08/oberammergau-passion-play-german-jewish-history/671026/
"How Hitler’s Favorite Passion Play Lost Its Anti-Semitism
A religious spectacle performed once a decade since 1634 in a Bavarian village finally erases its history of hatred.
By A.J. Goldmann"
I believe the more important figure than the 6 million Jews killed in work and death camps is that it was fully 1/3rd of all Jews in the territory the Germans controlled either alone or with conscripts from within the territories they took over. The people in many areas felt most oppressed and endangered by Soviets so there were many who felt they had to support the Germans to survive.
My mother made sure we saw films of "Russians" greeting Germans as saviors, only to be later killed by them. That always made me wonder why until I found those people cheering were most likely the Volgas Germans like John Denver's ancestors. See https://www.volgagermans.org/
A retired Professor at our college had gone to Russia about a quarter century ago to try to trace his Volga German ancestors only to find about 70% of them had been killed off quickly or in forced labor camps in Siberia.
Putting one's self in the position of many of citizens in those areas, imagine the choices of potential allies to prevent the greater damage to your groups. I imagine it like many inner city kids trying to stay out of gangs. What would they do if they truly had safer choices? What did they due when it became safe to leave the gangs?
What will Republicans do when it becomes after to leave their gang?
How long does it take to get back on the path to the real democracy with the least dwindling holdovers of links to ultra partisanship or gangs?
Thank you for sharing this. It is very sensible and takes attitudes into their historic origins.
That absurd article soothingly states that the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion was taken under the wing of the Interior Ministry, so we don't have to worry.
However, the head of the Interior Ministry, extending into the Zelensky administration, was the far-right neo-Nazi political kingpin Arsen Avakov.
I am ecstatic that Liar Fraud Con Traitor Trump is facing 91 FELONY charges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I suspect that Trump's campaign will eventually collapse under the weight of his legal woes, but not until he wins the Republican nomination (and then withdraws?).
I reported him, we need to report him from his bad posts.
Reported every violation of 2023 :Guidelines".
The only posts I have ever reported are those that directly threaten violence. Anyone else, troll or not, is expressing their opinion. When it comes to long right wing posts by frequent commenters, I either read them for any useful perspective or just skip to the next post.
Thanks for saying so!
You hypocrite.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/lev-golinkin-azov-ukraine-neo-nazis
I would not ignore the MAGA Left. Those who talk the talk of progressivism, but walk lock step to elect Trump
A friend describes such people in our local politics as fauxgressives. Works here, too.
...said Coke-head the troll
Indeed he does. But, then we all do. In one way or another. I will add John to my prayer list.
Best to ignore, he has a whole truckload to cut and paste as soon as something starts. There is a real history involving the Nazis in WW2, but much of that was opposition to the Soviets, who had recently perpetrated the deaths of millions of Ukrainians, mainly agrarian farmer peasants, as the Soviets imposed collectivisation, and simply took food to feed Russian populations, and in resistance farmers often burned their own crops. It was also true that anti-semitism flourished in Ukraine, as it did just about everywhere in central and eastern Europe in those times, in fact was a widely held attitude throughout the West, though there was change in the wind. Germany in fact had promoted Jewish legal status for some time, prior to the rise of the Nazis, which remember was also a widespread social movement. No surprise that neo-Nazism still plays a role throughout the west, including, as we all well know, Germany and the good old USA. In short, it's "complicated", perhaps someone like Timothy Snyder would do well demolishing the stories exaggerating neo Nazi influence in Ukraine, and elsewhere.
Thanks Craig...This made me laugh out loud...So well put...
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
https://mronline.org/2023/08/21/zelensky-holds-court-with-ukraines-most-notorious-neo-nazi/
Shcmeek,
I went to morononline.org and found a picture of you!!
Also, everyone, I learned this morning that if you report a post, which I had never done before, it disappears from the comments section so I cannot read it.
So, I have reported all of Schmeeks posts and they are all magically gone!
If you are tired of seeing hundreds of Schmeek Russian propaganda, just report it and, boom, its gone.
I don't think it's a good idea to report or block all trolls because, as annoying as they are, they give us a peek into the dark minds that are trying so hard to defeat truth.
It disappears for you only. I hope you understand this. Substack is NOT going to universally block anyone. Get a handle on yourself. Perhaps the blog owner has blocking rights but not you.
I get it. Just tired of seeing.
Schuck’s posts are still visible to me so maybe if you report them, they are only removed from your viewing, but not everyone’s…?
C'mon Mike.., ferr crissakes delete what pops up on your screen. We all have a "delete" button. Hopefully that option won't get 'deleted' or we'll really be up-the-creek. While you're at it though, send me a better photo of you. You can see moi.., I'm driving my race boat down in Hinton W.VA APBA Nationals.., running up front I might add.
MadRussian12A - "delete what pops up on your screen. We all have a 'delete' button. Hopefully that option won't get 'deleted' or we'll really be up-the-creek."
Where might this "delete" button be?
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
I think you have the Russian line down pretty well. What you didn’t mention is why the Maiden occurred. Why Yanukovych was ousted. Yes, Ukraine has issues— I actually did some work in Ukraine and Russia. I digress and to the point: Russia invaded. They are the aggressor. Putin justifies this in many ways, but it is naked aggression and violates the Budapest Memorandum (1994). As one notes, the local folks (Baltic countries, Sweden, Finland, Moldova, and so on) have a pretty good idea of Russia’s larger intentions. With all respect due, HRC has a much handle on this than you.
How do I report? Are you the Mike S that commented on Wolves in WAPO?
Don’t bother unless you want the comment to disappear for you only.
Dude, you are falling for the propaganda. Stop spreading that shit: https://www.factcheck.org/2022/03/the-facts-on-de-nazifying-ukraine/
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
Why are you repeating yourself through cut and paste. You weaken your argument when yo do this. I’m not going to respond to some of your comments I can see you are a rant amateur. Go away.
Same out of date sh*t you’ve been posting for months.
Wait, no classic rock recommendations?
John, we have Nazis here, too. Just look around in our military and police forces. American "militia"paramilitary forces are preparing for Trump to give the go ahead.
And scope out the House of Representatives. Aren't the Republicans acting like enemies of democracy?
Another thought...question for you: How do you feel about the fact that we incorporated the authoritarian genocide committing Communist Russians into a thing called the "Allies" - to fight Germany?
It ain't a simple world, John.
I think you must not know that Zelensky himself is Jewish.
So is Netanyahu.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/lev-golinkin-azov-ukraine-neo-nazis
Of course, and to see Zelensky snuggling up to the leader of Ukraine’s neo-Nazis is revolting.
Well John, I would offer this:
One thing is for sure, when delving into 'things of the past' that have been recorded in one way or the other it take alot of reading to draw a conclusion free of conjecture. Something I learned from my Father who was born in Russia in 1890. He saw and experienced a great deal first hand which he related to me as a teenager and which I quizzed him about. There is so much more than meets the eye, isn't there. But, above it all are the cultures which have developed beneath the blanket woven by those in power to suppress the will of people. Such is what we call communism, but which we, educated here in America, as well as other countries, don't have much of a clue today. Our use of the term "rule of law" and democracy as a way to steer clear of authoritarian rule goes right over the heads of the majority, because we have it so good in our daily lives. Don't we? Huh? Sorry.., but I think we do. We have it so good, we don't recognize it as the "blanket" is being pulled over us. And, it is an ill-woven blanket that Senator King spoke about. He's no hypocrite, and no rookie.
🙄
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.
You are wildly misinformed about Ukraine. Please do more research yourself and talk to at least 20 Ukrainians. Don’t just listen to conspiracy theories and believe them at face value. Senator King is on the Security Council for a reason.
"Five years ago, Ukraine’s Maidan uprising ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, to the cheers and support of the West. Politicians and analysts in the United States and Europe not only celebrated the uprising as a triumph of democracy, but denied reports of Maidan’s ultranationalism, smearing those who warned about the dark side of the uprising as Moscow puppets and useful idiots. Freedom was on the march in Ukraine.
"Today, increasing reports of far-right violence, ultranationalism, and erosion of basic freedoms are giving the lie to the West’s initial euphoria. There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
Stop posting on this site!!! You are taking up valuable space with your propaganda, troll!!!
Report him or block him. Several of us have already tried this but the moderators aren't willing to do anything about it I don't think. May if enough of us report or block him they will act.
My Wallace ancestors come from Tennessee and South Carolina. (And my Delano ancestors come from Plymouth Colony.)
GO away, Schmuck, I mean Schmeeckle.
Bwahahahahaha
John, what is your take on Putin's invasion of Ukraine? What do you think his motive was/is? What was/is Putin seeking to accomplish?
If Putin wasn’t going to have a neutral Ukraine, then he was going to secure the Black Sea access, and the Russian speaking eastern provinces, in some form or fashion. He never had, imo, any interest in taking the whole of Ukraine; that would have been another Afghanistan.
Perhaps that was not P’s initial goal. (I’m being generous). It’s clear now that he is intent on killing every Ukrainian and talking over the entire country.
Clear to your propagandized brain, maybe.
Tom, if that is the case, since he is now occupying eastern Ukraine, why is Putin continuing to bomb and kill Ukrainian men, women and children west of eastern Ukraine?
If you follow Putin's trajectory from the Stasi to the Kremlin, you will see that he is enamored of his scheme to restore the Soviet Union. And in the political expediency of embracing Russian nativism and religious extremism, he also wants to reestablish the Russian empire as a clerical fascist state.
For Putin it is about the power and the money. And he is adept at finding no end of 'useful idiots' to help him.
Which makes him different from America how?
The lust for power and money is an equal opportunity employer. The useful idiots are the ones who refuse to acknowledge the role America plays in death, destruction and misery around the world, especially since the end of WWII. And the fact that Putin/Russia is a piker in comparison.
Clerical fascist state/global corporate fascist state. Empire sucks, period.
Richard, probably for the same reason any power continues to bomb its adversary when the initial military objective is all but complete: some combination of continuing to degrade the opponent, break the will of the population to resist, prevent the reinforcement of men/material, etc.
See Dresden, see Hiroshima/Nagasaki, etc.
Worth serious discussion, as time permits. Starting point: Putin's stated goals: Completely full of poop, or not?
Here's a start. Much more to say, if time permits.
I remember the story about Saddam Hussein's soldiers dumping babies in the hospital out of incubators onto the floor to die. This story inflamed the whole country, including me, and helped justify our war against Iraq. Then, afterwards, it was widely reported that the story was a bare-faced lie.
I have seen much of the same in the barrage of propaganda against Russia, but I have no doubt that some of the stories of atrocities are true.
Isolated acts by military units are different from a systematic policy. I have been taking a wait-and-see attitude, remembering how we all got brainwashed in the past.
Regarding the "kidnapped" children, I remember reading that Russia relocated orphans from a war zone to safety in Russia. What's the true story, and how do we find out?
I think that, regarding why the war "unfroze" in 2022, Russia has a case that should be considered, and I think that there is a lot of misinformation exaggerating Russian atrocities, but I think that some atrocities definitely did happen, just like the United States did in Vietnam and Iraq. I said more in this reply:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-17-2023-14e/comment/47632143
My position is that we need to accept that we can't defeat the Russians militarily, which means that we'll eventually have to negotiate with them, so it makes sense to be aware of their side of the story and the underlying big picture.
Furthermore, our government is broke, and Congress is broken:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-18-2024/comment/47632311
Biden's reckless policy, supported by leading Democrats and Republicans since Obama was President, has been to shore up Ukraine's thuggish government and use Ukraine as a weapon against Russia. America leaders, especially Biden, have foolishly undermined American national security and wasted military resources.
I've said more about Ukraine's brutal far-right thug regime here:
https://substack.com/profile/85178460-john-schmeeckle/note/c-46724624
John, read what you just wrote and thought to myself: "Rationalization. Justification. Irrelevant." I never bought into the trumped-up reasons for our invading Iraq. Even if Saddam had had WMDs, he would never have used them. Why? Because Saddam enjoyed his power and if he had WMDs and used them, the U.S. would have irradiated him. Saddam wasn't stupid.
I wonder, if as you suggest there could be a negotiated solution to Putin's claim of eastern Ukraine to be under Russian hegemony, Putin didn't go to an International Court and make the claim?
The U.S. NATO and the West have no recourse but to stop this naked aggression in its tracks. What we're really defending in Ukraine is Western Democracy.
I do not see Russia's action as "naked" aggression, as I explained in my reply to James Quinn below, or click https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2024/comment/48612967
I disagree that we're defending "western democracy" in Ukraine, which has becom a corrupt, far-right thuggish one-party police state.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
https://mronline.org/2023/08/21/zelensky-holds-court-with-ukraines-most-notorious-neo-nazi/
See also "Ukraine is Brutally Repressing the Left, Criminalizing Socialist Parties, Imprisoning Activists"
https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2022/03/21/ukraine-repressing-left-criminalizing-socialist-parties/
See also "How Zelensky Made Peace with Neo-Nazis"
https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/04/how-zelensky-made-peace-with-neo-nazis/
See also "How One Ukrainian Billionaire Funded Hunter Biden, President Volodymyr Zelensky, And Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion"
https://greatgameindia.com/hunter-biden-zelensky-neo-nazi/
And therefore? False equivalences and irrelevancies. If Russia's invasion of Ukraine was not "naked aggression," then how do you define it, John?
This all comes down to a very simple issue. Can an increasingly interconnected world in which disasters in one area spread like the proverbial ripples out and out from the place where the little pebble was dropped into the calm water ignore those who are constantly dropping those pebbles and troubling the water we now all share. Long gone is the time when we were protected by oceans and mountains and rivers and deserts from the places roiled by those disposed to mayhem beyond their borders for their own selfish purposes. Whatever the governmental situation is in the Ukraine is up to the Ukrainians to solve as they will as long as it stays inside their borders and does not impinge on the rest of us. But to allow someone like Putin, as big a thug as any man alive right now, to derange the European order beyond his borders, and because of our interconnectedness, that of the rest of us as well is something we can no longer ignore. This is not ideology but simple practical world politics. Once one lets a mad dog out of his kennel, all efforts must be made to eliminate him or put him back in or the whole neighborhood is at risk.
Very briefly, here is my understanding:
1. We genocided the Russians (killed off all the old people) with the "shock therapy" of the 1990s.
2. After Yeltsin's coup d'etat against the Russian parliament and his consequent dependence on President Clinton to prop him up, we reneged on our promise to not expand NATO to the east.
3. We meddled in Ukraine with a "color revolution" in 2004, but the Ukrainians voted the old guy back in, because Russian speakers had a slight majority.
4. We cultivated neo-Nazis to make the next "color revolution" stick, and we unleashed this madness on Ukraine in the 2014 Maidan Revolution.
5. We enslaved Ukraine to the IMF, which made Ukraine promise to re-conquer the breakaway Donbass republics.
6. The NATO countries (who have voting domination at the IMF) built up the Ukrainian army for rhe coming attack.
7. Zelensky reneged on his campaign promise to bring peace to the Donbass and instead made peace with neo-Nazi war-mongers and pledged to keep Ukraine's promise to the IMF.
8. Ukraine built up a 3-to-1 troop majority on the Donbass line of contact -- the recommended ratio for an invasion.
9. Russia signed a mutual defense pact with the Donbass republics.
10. Ukraine began its pre-invasion bombardment as Ukrainian oligarchs fled the country and Lloyd's of London stopped reinsuring Ukrainian cargoes.
11. Russia, under the guise of its mutual defense pact, counter-attacked.
Your take is rather at some odds with others I've read. Given the complexity of the situation, this is not surprising. What emerges for me is a scenario not unlike that in the Balkans in the years before WWI and later. You'll recall that the German Otto von Bismarck remarked in 1888 that if war came to Europe it would be because of 'some damned foolish thing in the Balkans", which while hardly an unlikely prediction given the crazy quilt of tribalism, nationalism, racism, reactionary power struggles, empire builders, boundary fiascos, and the increasing level of anarchic activities by nihilists in the region, did prove prophetic, and then, as the poet Wilfred Owen once noted 'but the old man would not, but slew his son, and half the seed of Europe, one by one". To sort out the tribal conflicts which have bedeviled Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East for over two millennia and more has taken the best efforts of a good many historians, and those conflicts have resulted in more sheer madness and bloodshed than in any other place and time in our long history. So you'll forgive me if I see your take as more about taking one side against others than an objective description of the events in question. What makes me think so? Your use the language of partisanship rather than that of an objective observer.
If you want to read my mini dissertation on the subject, read my blog and my most recent entry “Wars.” There are more than a few points that I don’t disagree with you on. My main thesis is that most wars are unnecessary. And Ukraine was one such example. I had no problem arguing that it should have been a buffer for Russia. I get it. I accept it as my logic compels me. But that ship has sailed. It’s now necessary to either win this or likely, a negotiated settlement because the nuke option is off the table. You can’t win a war with threats of nuclear war.
The thought that we can win this war doesn't appear much these days. I agree with your thought of a negotiated settlement, but it might be awful late in the game for that. Calculations of relative strength and waning western support could keep Russia motivated to seize all of the four provinces they have partially occupied, plus Kharkov. I suspect that Russia won't push toward Odessa unless there is some sort of inviting Ukrainian collapse.
John, this seems to put you on the side of Vladimir Putin. Is that really where you want to be?
You are welcome to share your thoughts on my reply to Richard Sutherland, here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2024/comment/48590602
Spoken like George W. Bush. Is that really where you want to be?
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Wow, must be fun to be such a contrarian. Hard standing alone?
He’s not alone. There are plenty of rational people opposed to the U.S. role in the proxy war in Ukraine, not just the GOP elected officials. And the latter is not a monolithic group. Some are just tribal hack extremists, others express legitimate foreign policy concerns. Whether they believe them or not, that’s another subset question.
You are welcome to share your thoughts on my reply to Richard Sutherland, here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2024/comment/48590602
Thank you for sharing Sen. King’s eloquent remarks that crystallize the momentous stakes in the budget fight over Ukraine.
I never thought I would live to see the day when so many members of Congress would support someone as evil as Putin. It’s beyond shameful. Perhaps one day we’ll learn they have a personal financial reason for doing so.
Or is traitor Trump’s hold on them so great that they willingly work against the foreign policy interests of the nation and its allies?
"This is a battle for the soul of our democracy in the world"… To know one of the two major parties in our democracy is on the side of Authoritarianism says it all. The Rethuglicans are prepared to eat their young.
Certainly they are willing to condemn posterity to danger and misery as a cost of their own selfishness.
Craig & JL, the final tally in the Special Election in Texas House District 2 per the Texas Secretary of State has been counted. The Abbott supported Bill (not joking) Money boasting of an 11 lead in a poll lost to the new District 2 Representative JILL DUTTON.
Jill Dutton 6822
Bill Money 6715
After elections you must count the votes ... even In Texas District 2. Confirmed by The Texas Tribune.
She's still a Republican, and for school vouchers. But any small win against Abbott is a good thing.
Your latter point is why I posted it James. Dutton still wraps herself in American Flags but, she is not apart of the Abbott Team.
In a MAGA world, there are NO Good Republicans anymore...
On page 183 of the Heritage Project 2025 report it says, Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereign nation against Russia. Even as they describe Ukraine as the most corrupted country in the world. However, it said, once Agent Orange or whomever, is elected the funding will go away.
Hostage negotiating skills are a requirement for the House of Representatives. This is bullshit that a few can hold this country hostage.
The MAGAQ shit-for-brains better start looking for a lawyer. Jack Smith is coming for them. Jack, Jack he's are man. If he can't do it, no one can. Go Jack!
And Trump will unilaterally withdraw from NATO on day 1.
Yep! He will do whatever Leonard Leo tells him to do. Just like with the Supreme Court.
And Aileen Cannon and the weirdo judge in TX that blocked mifepristone. I'm sure there are many other judges that Leo got through the Senate that are equally as deplorable.
Fortunately, the Democrats in the Senate have approved 40 appellate judges and 172 Federal judges overall.
Several judges are pending as well including mid-level appellate judges.
The Democrats are thankfully reversing so of the damage TFFG and Leo did under Trump. And not ALL of the Leo judges are far-right religious zealots like Gorsuch, Comey-Barrett and Kavanaugh.
Gary, Amy Barrett belongs to a cult. Her father has been asked to take over said cult. Amy removed any mention that she is a member the cult from social media. They all support the mega billionaires donors that put them there.
It is reported in the Heritage Project on page 242 that all forms of medical means that supports abortion will not be available in the future. We have corruption at the highest level of the food chain. Our Supreme Court. They are the means to the end of our civil rights. This is Leo's Court.
Heaven forbid he is elected and decides to expand scotus
Just 2 of the many that need to be impeached and removed.
Maybe the Pope could excommunicate Leonard Leo.
That SOB is dangerous and toxic. I'm not counting on the church to hold anyone accountable.
You should see what they have planned for us. A return to one room school houses. According to them racism doesn't exit. It's sown in fabric of our nation.
Should.
Oh hohoho... Lisa59, your eloquent use of the vernacular.. " MAGAQ S--- For brains" is so dead on. Such an un-adulterated POS, and his party of rectum-detainees.
Show me one place in the world where democracy is working out. It’s just another form of corruption. Certainly the US is the prime example of how not to run a country.
That’s the point of democracy, that the people have the power to change the government. If the government is authoritarian or totalitarian, then only the person is charge has that power. If we lose our democracy, we lose everything. If we want something different, then we do need to be active and change it. I am an avid supporter of democracy but I agree that parts of our government are broken. And I am getting more involved as I get older.
A year ago I traveled to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Have you ever left your own county K. to see what the rest of the world is like?
I'm sorry to say this, but compared to all 3 of those countries the US is a second world country. There are many political parties in these countries, not just two. Right now we have one party which is hell bent on doing as little as possible just to get their demagogue reelected. There may be Fascist parties in the Scandinavian countries, but they will never control the government there.
unfortunately, the Netherlands -- a great country too -- has a right-winger on top of government because he got 27% of the vote. And he won because there were too many parties vying.
We visited Denmark and Norway last June. It was like going to another planet, a place much more advanced than the U.S.
Too bad you didn’t visit Finland.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/07/opinion/sunday/finland-socialism-capitalism.html
There was another article on Finland the other day written about a man from Columbia that moved to Finland who said there were a few customs that took a little time to get used to.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/travel/i-moved-to-finland-after-reading-its-the-happiest-place-on-earth-its-exceeded-all-my-expectations/ar-AA1m8FE2
I ran out of time otherwise I would have loved to travel to Finland.
The problem isn’t democracy, it’s unregulated capitalism plus lack of education and basic ethics and morals.
Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to have difficulty telling capitalism from democracy. The capitalist system is skewed towards billionaires and authoritarians. Democracy is a participatory form of government, votes in the booth are equal.
Absolutely agree that people have trouble telling the difference. I see fundamental problems with the U.S. system:
- Capitalism is largely unregulated, creating extraordinary inequities and other problems.
- The wealthy pay extremely low taxes compared to other rich nations.
- The Supreme Court allows the rich to game the system — especially the way money flows unchecked into campaigns.
- The Constitution, as revolutionary as it was when written, was made much too difficult to change. Thus its many flaws in today's world, which we could discuss for hours. The Electoral College, which is anything but democratic, is chief among the flaws.
Democracy is a clumsy system, but far better than the alternative. Trump is a Putin wannabe. Nice job MAGATS
Yeah, ok. Pack your bags- you are free to go. There are many countries waiting your presence, Russia, perhaps?
In a democracy, you have a voice. Use that voice in a totalitarian government and let me know how that works out for you. Our Contribution cements us in a democracy- everything else is up for change. Say that somewhere else and then report back to us.
Uh-huh....and which form of government is better that democracy PT?
PT (putin-trump) troll...
Troll alert, get the rope?
Hold on Bubba...
now this a comment from a very uniformed person.....
C'mon PT, we're a work-in-progress, including Trainwreck #45. If you're not independently wealthy, pick another country where you would want to grow up and spend the rest of your life in. Really. Go there. And while yer packing up, forget about taking any social security benefits etc, IRA's, 401K's, your ATV, M/C's, Sno-mobile, 25' center console boat, your Tahoe, your Cessna 182, that huge BBQ grill, and any 'return passport'... (you're not coming back). Have a nice day.
Boy is that the truth Craig. Some will say it is overly dramatic....but spot on!
Their number one interests are obviously "not" what they were sent to do for their districts and America. When we get around to fixing some things needing fixed, some serious contemplation and action needs lent to the notions of how to remove congress critters and wacko's in the SCOTUS.
So called "originalists" are oblivious to history.
Originalists make up the “history” they choose to accept. Sort of like Jefferson’s Bible.
"Originalists" is and has been nothing more than a misnomer at best and a self professing narrative to peddle for the sake of borrowing credibility, where none or little is due.
Are people not willing to just say that we're seeing 100% oppositional Republicans literally not knowing how to understand the situation in any complexity at all? Whatever descriptive adjectives you want to use to cover this phenomenon just look at their behavior itself. They are advertising their own ignorance blatantly. So I am led to believe they don't have what it takes upstairs. We should never be electing people this incompetent, no matter what party they're in.
The MAGAQ group purpose is to create chaos. They are chosen, financially supported by billionaires to carry the water for their Autocratic takeover. This is part if the plan. Not a fluke. It's intentional. They are loving this. They are spending billions to watch it burn to the ground. If anyone needs to understand why we are here.
Read the guide to how to build an Autocracy from the ground up...Project 2025. It's all there. Why this isn't on the front page of every paper is mind blowing to me.
Unfortunately, I believe this is the result of our lack of investing in pre-k through 12 education for generations.
I have often marveled at the lack of discernment in a large swath of the electorate, wondering how people can come to such illogical conclusions.
Then I read about cults.
Trumpism is a cult.
While it still defies reason, reason is not necessary for belief.
"...reason is not necessary for belief." BINGO
Yes. People in cults follow the leader without thinking for themselves. Is it currently 32% of the general US population dyed-in-the-wool blind followers?
At least.
Around 54% of the country has a literal rate below sixth-grade level.
Keeping people uneducated is a great Republican/authoritarian strategy. Always has been.
Robin, I agree. It seems like a trickle down: I am convinced that #45 has a lower than average IQ. Would love to see psychological testing supporting that! So the people following him (Bobert, MTG for instance) also have n idea what is going on in the government and no interest in finding out. My observation…
Strong men that take over governance don’t have to be overly intelligent, just strong. I think of Hitler, Pol Pot, and others.
It's a false strength held up only by all the apparatus, people and mechanisms and at least for a time by the people who vote or fail to.
Yeah, I'd love some answers, too. They make me sick. Marjorie effing Taylor Greene is what's keeping us from funding Ukraine? This is outrageous.
Margaret, outrageous it is!! MTG is the epitome of acrimony, rancor, bitterness, malice spite and nastiness. All synonyms of Gall. Since when have we last someone of her lack of character tell everyone else what to do? Where are the House members who used to have some integrity, and why are they allowing her to be so important? Well, I know why. Because they don't want to get on the bad side of Trump. ( Wait, is there a Good side to Trump??)
I just don't understand how we have let this happen. But, what do I know?
Michael - Read Prequel, by Rachel Maddow. I was stunned by the number of American congress members that were involved with the Nazis as well as high ranking members of the military. History rhymes and we are in a rhyming time. Follow the money is the basic truth of how a democracy dies. CONservatives for years have been influenced by money form Russia. At one time that was a death nail for politics because was a communist state. Putin is a Soviet communist that has welcomed the American money. in the last number of years he has turned that money to buying American politicians. Follow the money.....
"Perhaps one day we’ll learn they have a personal financial reason for doing so."
For sure Trump has long received and laundered money from Russia ("his" Scottish Golf course was entirely funded by laundered money). Perhaps Putin was so successful with the ease with which Trump does his bidding for money that he has added more Republicans to the "on the laundered money take" list.
I would only be surprised if Putin is NOT paying Republicans like Stefanik through laundered money at this point.
But?? Question: Is it illegal for white people to take laundered money from Russia? I don't think so because, one of the western states of the US, I no longer remember which one, was the largest money laundering entity on the planet for Russia for a long time. Maybe still is.
So, IF we learn that half of Republicans are taking laundered money, I don't think it is illegal here in the good ole USA.
"A Reuters review found that at least 63 individuals with Russian passports or addresses have bought at least $98.4 million worth of property in seven Trump-branded luxury towers in southern Florida."
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-trump-property/
Tip of the old iceberg, me thinks...
Bill, they probably bought most of it during his presidency—he broke the Emoluments clause of the Constitution from day one.
South Dakota, I believe.
It's both - financial and Trump's hold. Trump's influence gets them re-elected or not. That keeps them in a powerful political position that gains them tremendous financial benefits. Neither would sway elected "leaders" with any sort of integrity or ethical values; but, that's not where we're at - is it? :-(
Michael, just look at how many went to visit Putin and had Orban speak at CPAC.
https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/msna1119676
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/world/at-cpac-hungarys-viktor-orban-decries-lgbtq-rights-migration
They should go live in Russia or Hungary and see how they like it. Traitors.
It boggles my mind that any elected official would put the interests of another country, ESPECIALLY Russia, over our own national security. Heck no! Putin would not stop with Ukraine. The current Republican party is traitorous.
Traitor Trump is an expert in bullying and digging up dirt about individuals that he hangs over them. Think “Lindsey Graham”...
Compramat in his preferred language
It's all in the open for the world to see.
I think it's the last one. He represents everything they want--control over the rest of us, retaliation for being mocked for their ridiculous ideas, stuffing everyone back in the closet. I think they've glommed onto him because he makes it ok to be a homophobe and racist.
For his part, he just needs adoration. He's like a sci fi villain whose power is based on worship from his cultists.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
Sorry, John is having diarrhea again.
John posts the same thing, over & over. Ignoring him is our only option.
I think Shmeeckie stays awake all night just so he can pounce on the early comments here.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
https://mronline.org/2023/08/21/zelensky-holds-court-with-ukraines-most-notorious-neo-nazi/
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You hit it out of the ballpark today Heather! I second the Thank you for highlighting Senator Angus Kings speech. It's magnificent
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
Please only post your comments once as courtesy to the rest of us.
There's a reason no one reads your comments John--maybe you can figure it out.
It is not #2; it is #3.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
https://mronline.org/2023/08/21/zelensky-holds-court-with-ukraines-most-notorious-neo-nazi/
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Trump is all about red meat. Carnage is his currency and lexicon.
I was reminded of this when writing a post tonight about the most important Covid studies from this past month. One of the analyses published in the BMJ found that thousands of frontline workers died in the US because of misleading federal leadership and a muzzled CDC that was also much too slow to admit the airborne nature of this virus.
And yet Trump had the power to wield the Defense Production Act. Making N95 masks would haves saved many of those front line workers in the darkest days. He invoked the Act once - to compel meatpackers to keep packing meat. More meat. More death.
This man trades in carnage on ever more massive scales as he threatens to destroy the post WWII world order and our relative peace from his perch in the peanut gallery.
Those studies, if interested, and keep vaxing:
https://mccormickmd.substack.com/p/covid-articles-and-studies-that-caught
Yep. I lost a good friend and a talented, experienced, internationally renowned pediatric neurosurgeon because there was not enough PPE in NY City hospitals.
Thanks for bringing your friend's memory to remind us of who was lost and what is at stake.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend.
Thank you. The situation in NYC hospitals in March of 2020 was like a war zone. Our friend was one of many health care professionals that lost their lives, in no small part due to the arrogance and ineptitude of the Trump administration. There were over a thousand people online for his memorial service, patients, patients’ parents, colleagues, and friends. He is still missed. I will never forgive Trump for his ignorance and arrogance in managing the Covid pandemic.
I am so sorry also, Sky. He must’ve been a very special person. Yes, everywhere, precious people were lost but nobody worked (still do) harder than doctors, nurses, and staff at trying to keep people alive. I have a friend who is over the nurses union and she got horrible Covid in spite of being vaccinated because of those who did not. Almost lost my sister-in-law because of her stubbornness. Now she is a big advocate for vaccines.
Glad to hear your SiL survived and saw the light on vaccines.
Our friend traveled the world giving lectures and performing surgeries often in areas of the world where medical care is not widely available. When in NYC he trained young doctors in the art of neurosurgery for babies and children. It has to be one of the most difficult fields in medicine. And he did it for decades with joy and compassion and tremendous skill and determination. He is missed.
Accessory to murder.
There are so many crimes TFFG could be indicted for. The DOJ chose the low hanging fruit and the MAGANAZIs still claim it is a political witch-hunt.
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Sky 777, your comment here has chased me down a rabbit hole.
There is an "Officer Down Memorial Page" that lists all of the officers who die "in the line of duty", that is, as a direct result of their law enforcement duties. In 2020 and 2021, the LODD for Covid was through the roof. The annual rate of LODD is somewhere around 200 (some digging that I don't have enough coffee on board for; the assessment goes beyond the felonious murder of cops to include "accidental" deaths (training, vehicle/plane crashes, natural disaster response, and the like). In 2020 346 Covid related deaths, all of those meeting the criteria for a LODD (direct, documentable as a result of working in law enforcement).
In medicine, it was even worse. Every one of those deaths lies at the foot of fpotus.
https://portal.cops.usdoj.gov/resourcecenter/content.ashx/cops-w0902-pub.pdf
Yes. The pandemic was always going to be bad. It did not have to be as bad as it was. The excess morbidity and mortality is on tfg. And he, being who he is, is unaware and uncaring.
Acknowledging the senseless death of your friend Sky777. So sad.
Awful. What a rip in the fabric of so many lives, present and future.
Yes. Good image. The actions and mistakes of the Trump administration will cascade long into the future.
Sky so sorry that you lost your good friend ☹️☹️☹️
Thank you.
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I'm so sorry.
Don't get me started Ryan. Both of my kids (kids ?) have been and still are, front line 'cannon fodder' as ER professionals. Almost lost the youngest one who got covid from an ER coworker who was still a 'denier' owing to the politics. My youngest ended up in her own ER - twice, in very dire shape. *Just had my first look at your page; Philly's a great place; I've got a nephew in college there. Cheers
We could get each other started, and the outrage could fill volumes. I'm sorry that your beloved kids (they are always your children) are still in harm's way. With vaccinations and the option to use an N95 the situation is so much better, but I recall the terror quite well. It's not over, just better.
The oldest is an ER PAc ; the youngest is an ER RN,++. The way we've grown into 'our' roles is to be their "outlet" for the stressful days when they just need to get 'stuff' out of their heads; as you would know, they can't name - names, but we get to be their 'sounding boards' and grateful to do it. As you might also know, medical careers aren't limited to them alone; for the sake of their own 'self care' one might as well call it a 'family choice.' Likely, I don't need elaborate that to death for your understanding - thank goodness. *Aside: Both daughters are saddled with debts, so the RN++ is going back 'on the road' as a travel ER nurse .. again. We live just south of Cleveland Ohio and she is off to Waupaca, Wi. to serve 7 weeks at their hospital ER. I'm wondering if your extended 'network' has any connections there or near there ? It's a little far for my comfort; some connection would be heaven sent. Cheers friend ~
The height of his perch is all he cares about. Modern "Republicans" don't care how much humanity suffers, so long as they are in charge of it.
We were lucky to get an N95 and when we did had to re-use it way past its effectiveness.
I was lucky t have some on hand for construction dust.
Same here.
Yes, I had a clothesline of 5-7 that I would hang up and reuse 5-7 days later. So many details I've buried for now. Too painful.
I'm so glad you made it, Karen. Most of the cops here were using neck gaiters made of thin stretchy material.
Thank you Ally.
I keep being dumbfounded that this orange skidmark won't go away. Other presidents go build houses for homeless people, or at the minimum paint pictures of their feet in the bathtub . That he won't go away is some mental illness.
Most of America doesn't want to think about the covid menace many of us didn't survive. As a very sick child with asthma, it terrified me. We have a crisis of medical care providers in this country and the "president" at that time is to blame for a part of it. Thank you for reminding us, it's one more thing to pin on the execrable excuse of a man.
But Trump made the "bleach discovery"! It, along with horse de-wormer, could have saved many lives, right? /s
Seriously, here's a followup question: Do we NOW manufacture N95 masks in the US? And what percentage of our everyday essential drugs (or their components) do we still import and NOT manufacture here? How vulnerable are we?
All good questions, and worthy of a deep dive. So many disqualifying moments, and the bleach one would have destroyed the career of anyone else but a cult figure.
We were making N95 masks here & had the ability to produce 1.7 million per week. In Jan 2020, Prestige Ameritech in Texas, asked for government assistance to start up his 3 lines that had been mothballed. He was getting increasing orders from China & wanted to keep his product in the US, but he needed the government to actually order them if they wanted them. Instead Peter Navarro turned his back them & gave 55 million to a training company that never made masks. The US made deals to buy masks for 5.50 each. In April, they finally decided to buy some from Prestige for 79 cents each. Those lines that could have made 7million N95s a month here in the US, were idle for the entire pandemic.
Outrageous and malicious, really. Thank you for sharing.
My husband is a kidney transplant patient, as is a friend. They had a 75 percent of dying prior to the vaccinations. It kills me to hear that masks don’t make a difference & vaccines don’t work. When he finally got it 3 vaccines in, it was a day of discomfort.
I'm so glad you and many others faced these much better odds later in the pandemic game. We talk about percentages, and relative/absolute risk reductions... but when we see faces, hear stories, and consider the human beings involved in these cold numbers, it is really hard to stay dispassionate and cynical about science and all it has provided.
I’m a kidney donor & husband is a recipient who had a
God bless Sen. Angus King. He has drawn a stark and accurate historical parallel which we will ignore at America’s--and the world’s--peril.
see 3rd ref in notes .. it seems that MM is softening
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
get a mirror John. EVERY ACCUSATION IS YOUR CONFESSION
Rickey Woody and Bill Katz:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2024/comment/48592440
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This is an incredible letter. I would love to have Heather record it so people can hear it.
It is recorded love. Just not by her
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tlmyYvICBgM&feature=shared
Pardon me for posting a link without context; it's to the video of Senator King's speech. Heather's letter covered *all* of the salient points, but I found it worth watching.
It was worth listening to him. Thank you 🙏
We now have a domestic terrorist organization masquerading as one of the two major political parties. I appreciate what Senator King said, but he should’ve gone further in my opinion. He should’ve called for the expulsion from Congress of all who support Putin by supporting Trump. He should’ve called Trump the seditionist criminal he is. At this time in our history, we need leaders who are even bolder than Senator King to lead us out of the darkness.
They are seditionist traitors. Expulsion is the proper action.
Someone draw that expulsion document up; I'm in.
I am amazed that the Pelosi and Shumer years of majority did not refuse to seat the seditionists. The 14th/sec.3 is self executing.
You can imagine that it must have been a daily topic amongst those of good will, just to get the jobs done - the real work. I do hope history gives Nancy and Chuck all of the credit that their due - which is much.
Yes.I agree.These traitors in Congress who aided and abetted the POTUS who tried to overthrow our democracy and tried to negate the results of my legally cast ballot should not be representing constituents.These people do not believe Biden is our legitimate POTUS and need to be 14th Amendmented out of office.All of them .
Unfortunately, Senator King receives threats from the MAGANAZIs the same as every other Democrat that dares to speak the truth. I think he showed courage by giving this speech. No reason to go over board.
Those of us who have lived in Maine know that most Mainers are fine folks. But there IS a scary MAGA paramilitary bunch out there. I hope Angus has a good security detail.
We are very fortunate in Northern New England to have Senator Angus King from Maine and Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
For fucks sake, John. Do you have an issue with boundaries? Do people tell you to stop and you refuse to listen to them? Do you enjoy sucking the oxygen out of the room? There are hundreds of sites to project your Putin talking points.
You are welcome to share your thoughts on my reply to Richard Sutherland, here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2024/comment/48590602
If you put your cursor on the line below Schmekel's picture and click, it collapses the whole thread
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“For his part, King said, “I want to stand on the side of resisting authoritarianism, on the side of democracy...” and I too want to stand on the side of democracy and justice and freedom. Stand up, speak up and keep working together. We have too much to lose to give up now or ever. Thank you Professor for joining History with the present and the future. For our children and grandchildren and all the tomorrows.
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
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The WAPO has an editor on their comments so that you can only post the same comment once. Maybe someday substack will do the same thing.
I reported to Substack for whatever it’s worth. Once, fine. But this is on auto.
Yes, of course Senator Angus King speaks from accurate history and for a similarly apt truth today.
And trailer trash Majorie Taylor Gazpacho speaks for the entirely opposite. Not fantasy (that would be too easy, too much in the realm of the predictably constant lying such as from her hero the fat, orange fraud, the doddering, bing-bong-bing-bong idiot rapist).
They eat their own -- that's the truth opposite Senator Angus King's. Just as do the demons in Koyoharu Gotōge's "Demon Slayer," the truly demented go not just in clown car circles, but in rotations involving murder (and eating) of each other.
Phil Balla, please think twice when you call people names. My parents, my 4 siblings & I grew up living in a “trailer” and never did we think we were trailer trash, nor poor or anything else negative. Speak your passion with more thought than a description of people doing the best they can and I’m as passionate as anyone in this community of Americans. I realize you spoke be gore you considered what I just said. End of story. Let’s focus on what we’re dealing with here, and work together to save Ukraine and in doing so saving our own Democracy
The open secret of liberty and justice is we guard our own by protecting that of others.
"Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises." - Lincoln
JL thank you for excellent quote from ALincoln.
Not merely calling names, Pat -- but locating fools in homicidally dangerous contexts.
My own mother grew up without running water, central heating, or electricity in the hills of pre-TVA east Tennessee. But I loved and respected all that family there. I read the Appalachian writers from their beginnings to the time in the 1970s when I began writing tributes to many of them myself.
No correlation between anyone's poverty then and the dignity which shone for most.
And only most sensitive correlation now, in the aftermath of how our billionaire classes offshored the millions of working-class jobs, leaving so many historically as vulnerable to OxyContin and Fentanyl as were the Russian working classes vulnerable to worse after their oligarchs stole all their public assets.
(Side note, it was U.S. financiers -- many Ivy League grads -- who invested in the former Soviet nomenklatura, floating the oligarchs there thus to do their damages.)
That's another long story, as is NY city realestate development thereafter.
As detailed in Colson Whitehead's Crook. Manifesto.
Add Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" to the list.
Well documented. There's a long list.
@Phil Balla
Looks like you did think twice. A lot of people don't.
Oooh good quoting Pat! Thank You!
Never understand why people would vote for someone as uneducated and unqualified as MTG.
There's no shame to being uneducated. What is shameful is not trying to learn.
Talia . And lacking empathy. Ugh. Reminds me of Charles Grassley.
And "THAT" is the key. I am a "none" when it comes to "faith". But I grew up being taught that EMPATHY and kindness were key elements of a Christian life. I guess now there is another kind of Christian - probably channeling the Crusaders slaughtering the Muslims.
LOL.Thanks.
Agreed, Talia. In referring to MTG, I meant that she had no prior governmental or legal experience. I know its “a thing” that people don’t want to vote for politicians, but it seems foolish. My goodness, you’ve got to have some understanding of legal matters and protocol if you are going to be part of a legislative body. I always say that I wouldn’t hire an electrician to repair my roof!
And how to explain those who vote for an uneducated vulgarian traitorous fraud with mahogany pancake makeup on face only and translucent combover, silver or brown depending on the day? I guess she IS his type. Maybe.
The wealthy believe he will get them more money. The middle class and poor are in thrall. It’s a strange thing to observe. Like a teenage crush on a movie star. Oh yes, and he will get rid of everyone and everything they don’t like. Then they can get back to living their “Leave it to Beaver” lives.
The concept of truth itself must be under unrelenting assault to keep the virtues of "Reaganomics" plausible.
Please note, Annie, my reply to you, near this spot, somehow got posted separately.
The voters are no different.
Hmm. You may be correct!
Because they are too...
King is such a hypocrite, supporting Ukraine's brutal, corrupt far-right thug regime, with Zelensky as window dressing and the neo-Nazis controlling the police stations.
See the three dots after John’s diarrhea? Tap them and select Hide
I clicked on his name and then when you get to his profile there are the 3 dots.
I was able to block him there.
I recommend we all do the same.
If you look at the titles of his posts it looks like he is a faux-Christian Fascist. What a surprise.
All I get is Report
But Report is the way to get him blocked, that only problem is it only takes the one post. I wish reporting him should take out all of his posts. He is a fake.
A few months ago, both Zelensky and Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau applauded as the Speaker of Canada's House of Commons praised a Ukrainian who was a real-life Nazi, a member of a Nazi SS unit that committed genocide against Poles during World War II. After international condemnation, Speaker Anthony Rota quickly resigned.
When Zelensky became President, he initially moved toward fulfilling the Minsk Agreements that had "frozen" the civil war in the Donbass and outlined a pathway toward peace. But then he capitulated to the Neo-Nazis (who controlled Ukraine's Interior Ministry, in charge of the police stations) and eventually re-ignited the frozen war, precipitating the Russian invasion. We are being lied to.
In August, after U.S. Secretary of State Blinken announced more aid for Ukraine, Zelensky posted a video showing him with Ukraine's most prominent Neo-Nazi Andriy Biletsky:
https://mronline.org/2023/08/21/zelensky-holds-court-with-ukraines-most-notorious-neo-nazi/
1. If you come across a post that you think violates the Content Guidelines, you can report this to our Trust & Safety team by clicking on the three dots menu on a profile and selecting "Report".
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We support Ukraine not because it’s a nice, charitable gesture, we support Ukraine because it is very much in our national interest to do so.
I believe if one asked Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, et al about the Sudetenland in 1938 one would get a blank stare and a “Huh?” One doubts that King’s magnificent speech registered at all in the minds of those most in need of a history lesson.
They probably think that Sudetenland is Sweden--and write it off as a Socialist county.
It’s a sad day for the United States when I almost applaud Mitch-the-Switch McConnell for being one of the few ‘right headed’ Republicans in Congress.
Meanwhile, many of the Turkey Turd Trumpites are traitors to the United States of America on such vital matters as Ukraine, immigration on the border, and funding our government’s ongoing operations.
Angus King gave them a Thomas Paine COMMON SENSE oration that, in normal times, would shame these TTT. Alas, they are too shameful to feel shame.
May we please have ALL Democrats & Independents echo Senator Kings words across the country daily until after the election.
Three cheers for Angus King! None of it should need saying, but it DOES in the clearest possible terms. This issue ought to be beyond US politics.
Fantastic speech by Senator King!
It certainly is a relief to read there is still a mature adult in the room. Words by Sen. King affirms there is a sense of Honor, yet, amongst the cowards who shame our Country.