Judith, you’ve put it so well! President Biden has blown my expectations for his presidency out of the water. He has accomplished so much for the “average Joe and Jane “.
As for his cussing in the White House, I’m reminded of the response of the man who opened the door of our neighborhood storm shelter to see the eye of an EF-3 tornado 80 feet above him. He cussed fluently. I’m sure that Biden often feels the same way.
"Tell me you've never been in a briefing without telling me."
That was kind of my reaction. Tell me you've never been in meeting where the future of the company is at stake at the same time you're bragging about your title.
If they went in unprepared, they were lucky all they heard was cursing.
HCR seems to be in a state of denial regarding the obscenity of the Biden administration's ongoing support of Ukraine's oppressive, undemocratic one-party right-wing thug regime.
EDIT: The NATO countries have voting domination at the genocidal International Monetary Fund. In 2014, the IMF demanded, as part of a loan deal, that Ukraine re-conquer the breakaway Donbass republics, because income from their heavy industry was needed to service the debt. The people of Ukraine have been turned into zombie soldiers, as the IMF continues to extract pounds and pounds of bloody flesh in exchange for ongoing special treatment and financial support from the NATO countries.
Have no fear, k (and other LFAA readers). “Schmeeckle” reappears (like his namesake Gollum) every once in awhile. He is merely trying to gain subscribers, living the American Dream, and makin’ a buck. “Schmeeckle” used to be disguised as Gandalf, but somehow lost his touch. I think Frodo and Samwise cleaned his clock “back in the day.”
Hi, Selina. Just so you know, I have engaged Mr. Schmeeckle numerous times over the past year - on various topics upon which we find disagreement. This person has had various other permutations of identity in the past and most recently he is appearing as John Schmeeckle who is “By accident, I became the leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence.” He has two followers on his Substack endeavor. In MY response, as you might notice, I was responding to “k” and others on this LFAA thread who reject Mr. Schmeeckle’s ascensions.
Selena Sweet, there a link to ten sources in my original post in this thread. Once again, the starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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 remember my brother saying when Scalia got into the Supremes - don’t worry he’s really smart and will likely change his very conservative point of view once he’s heard enough cases. The very intelligent Scalia never changed. Which suggests even the intelligent get captured and begin thinking they know it all. Intelligence doesn’t equal wisdom nor sound judgment.
Biden's speech was brilliant. It's spot on that HCR reproduced a large portion of that speech along with the report on inflation. So, inflation is at its lowest level in years? Normally, this would be great news for an incumbent president seeking re-election. But, not now. Times have changed. Issues that once made a difference don't now. Why? In part the reason is that among about fifty million or more voting Americans (Evangelicals, white supremacists and the ultra wealthy) facts don't matter. John Stuart Mill made this observation in his 1869 essay, "The Subjection of Women," - when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter.
To get a better understanding of what is going on here, Timothy Egan's book, "A Fever in the Heartland," about the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the Midwest in the 1920's is very instructive. D.C. Stephenson, head of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana in the 1920's said: "I did not sell the Klan in Indiana on hatreds. I sold it on Americanism." How is this different from "Make America Great Again?" MAGA is KKK, 21st century version. Regaining political power and installing their version of "Americanism" is the only thing that really matters to them.
Richard Sutherland "So, inflation is at its lowest level in years? Normally, this would be great news for an incumbent president seeking re-election. But, not now. Times have changed. Issues that once made a difference don't now. Why?" I blame the media in large part for their distorted coverage of current events. Some ignore the Biden Administration's clear successes while other sources minimize, bury or present on the same level as the republican's craziness. That part of the media deliberately choses a path that presents a picture of a divided country with lots of controversy. Biden's calmer, less exciting approach to rebuilding our economy and status around the world just doesn't get readership, which is all most media cares about. Another reason why HCR's work is so important.
There are tens of millions of Americans who will never know that "inflation is at its lowest level in years." That's because their source of information is solely from Fox, OAN and Newsmax. They still believe that the election was stolen and that Kari Lake won in Arizona. They believe that all other information sources are fake news. These are "True Believers." They believe what they believe and facts, even if known, would make no difference.
The NYT, WaPo and many other "mainstream" sources are also a problem. Incomplete coverage, false equivalencies and bothsiderism are far too common in their reporting. It isn't just Fox and the rest of them. It takes effort to get a clear, accurate picture of complicated current events. Unfortunately most people just don't have the time.
News on the vomit front: Kari Lake is coming to Salem (OR) to speak to some meeting of wing nuts. Last year we had the Flynn dog and pony show in Keizer. Ain't we lucky???
Please go as an observer. I understand that she wants to be TFG's VP running mate. It'd be interesting to see how she works a crowd and what their responses are. Of course, the experience may cause you to go into a deep state of depression, so if your the least bit concerned, stay home.
I am not a Fox AON or News Max " believer". Hearing that inflation slowed is good news but let's not start patting our self on the back just yet. Inflation has been happening for a long time and until prices start heading back to what they were before covid there is not really much good news. Companies that dominate the market like Tyson Foods, Kellogg Foods... have created record profits lately because of thier ability to control pricing kak no competition have no incentive to lower prices to pre inflation levels. Someone doesn't have to be brainwashed or in an information bubble to be skeptical enough to not feel like celebrating news that inflation has just slowed.
A real false equivalency is saying that people in the lower incomes have mad the most gains on inflation. Someone going from $9 an hour to $18 ( 100% increase) had no buying power to start with and whos job is likely part time is having a harder time dealing with bills than someone with no raise that make $100,000 a year. But news is reporting lower incomes are rising as to meet inflation. Telling people they are doing better while they see themselfs struggling is bad politics and more a tactic of MAGA world employed on the brainwashed. Hold the champaign for real world results, then people will get on board. Propaganda is bad politics to an informed electorate..save the BS for Trumpito.
"[U]ntil prices start heading back to what they were before covid there is not really much good news." Oh, please. That is an absurd -- and DANGEROUS -- expectation. You're talking about 10%+ DEFLATION to get back to prices from 3 years ago. Do you not understand the dangers of deflation? Or are you a big-banker who alone would profit by it? How much fun was it for your grandparents from 1930 to '33? Looking forward to paying the interest on the $10K/person national debt in dollars worth more, and harder to come by, than they are now?"[U]ntil prices start heading back to what they were before covid there is not really much good news." Oh, please. That is an absurd -- and DANGEROUS -- expectation. You're talking about 10%+ DEFLATION. How much did your (great-?)grandparents enjoy that from 1930-33? Do you look forward to paying the interest on the $10K-per-person national debt in more valuable, harder-to-come-by dollars than when "we" borrowed them? You "real false equivalency" assertion looks like innumerate nonsense to me.
The answer is in Richard's first paragraph: "when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter." So the media focuses on feelings. They've got bills to pay.
When I say tough, I mean really, really tough. Take Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., for example. He headed up the Human Genome Project. If anyone understands DNA, how all living things share the same DNA (plants, animals, insects) it's because it came from a single Super Great Grandmother 3.5 billion years ago. And that modern humans emerged only 300,000 years ago and that we share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. So, when did we get a soul? And, Francis Collins is a fundamentalist Christian. The takeaway? When beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter. John Stuart Mill was/is right.
See "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. We have two brains. One is fast to react and slow to learn, and the other is fast to learn and slow to react. The first one is sometimes called the lizard brain. It's where emotions are initiated. The lizard brain looks pretty much like the MAGA brain. Just sayin'.
Marycat2021, when you read "A Fever . . ." you'll see that the conclusion about MAGA being today's KKK is inescapable, right down to the white, Anglo Saxon Protestantism. DeSantis, a white Catholic, has sneaked into the group. Who could have ever imagined that such a shallow, empty, self-aggrandizing, serial lying congenital malignant narcissist such as Donald Trump could get even one vote, to say nothing about tens of millions. It is a great insult on the American populace and may point to the detrimental effects of religion on critical thinking abilities.
Richard, re: “It is a great insult on the American populace and may point to the detrimental effects of religion on critical thinking abilities.” I would add watching the short series on Prime, Happy Shining People, is a real eye opener for the far right evangelical movement that has and continues to be strong on the religious brainwashing of America.
I totally agree! This is an amazing book! However, you may have trouble sleeping after reading! There are things in this book that I would never have imagined in a million years. It is so sickening...and we are currently living in it with these MAGAs!
True, and the search for a new "D.C. Stephenson" by Rupert Murdoch is on-going. He is apparently dumping DeSantis. @Advocacy reports just now: Rupert Murdoch set to bail on Ron DeSantis, reportedly eyeing new puppet to fight Trump
The Fox News founder has reportedly soured on the real-life Disney villain's floundering presidential campaign and has privately told people his new campaign crush is Virginia Gov. Greg Youngkin. Different right-wing fearmonger, same book-banning, queer-shaming, race-baiting bullshit.
Yes, Richard, while I was reading A Fever in the Heartland, I constantly thought about what is happening today. All the so-called patriots hear this siren song loud and clear. And I noticed that D.C. Stephenson was a slime ball who reminded me of death star except that he wasn't born into wealth....a clever lying con man though to hide and made up his background. Rs continue to screech about MAGA, family values, the military, law and order, immigration, and government spending...monstrous hypocrites.
I get what Mill was saying, and we see it every day;but perhaps the concept of "feelings" beg a closer look. It occurred to me long ago, assigned Descartes' "Discourse on Method" in college, that "I feel, therefore I am", might go deeper than "I think therefore I am". In retrospect, I can't separate them. The precise parameters of my own experiential sense that "I am" seems a bit mysterious and elusive. My consciousness seems to involve a constant flow of micro-decisions about what is true AND what "matters". I have some grasp of the physics and physiology of sunshine on my shoulder, but less of the experiential sentience, for which I can compare notes with other humans, but not adequately describe. I can appreciate the chemistry and neurology of tasting a fresh strawberry (which my wife is currently gathering) but that animal experience is both "tangible" and hard to pin down. In any case I believe that "feelings" are core to who and what we are, and serve us best when reconciled the revelations of our own intelligence.
"Dispassionate inquiry" is misrepresented by Star Treks "Mr. Spock", as many scientists, including Einstein, have been quite passionate, but also mentally disciplined with respect to logic and evidence. The urge to discover and the recognition of a promising thread implies decisions of value.
Demagogues have subjugated humanity from time immemorial, by appealing to attractive lies and prejudices. Lies sabotage our liberty, justice, and socially healthy outcomes, and must be confronted with the most accurate observations and conclusions we can muster, but also with appeals to our values. The above collection of excerpts from Biden's speech is packed with them. Current Republicans ironically seem to offer only the "blue pill" and Democrats the "red", but Republicans arrogantly and disingenuously make such a show of defending "Values"; neglecting to mention that everyone has them. It is refreshing and essential that our responsible leaders make more of a "thing" of just and liberating, forward-thinking values and help us focus on our own.
What, in the end, matters most? And who gets "a voice" in that regard in a democratic republic?
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
Are you capable of actually considering my detailed point of view? My starting point is this 2019 quote from "The Nation":
"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."
"There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators."
Sounds like Trump at Mara Lago to me John. Or maybe Fox and Friends.
The Establishment has decided to pull the plug on BOTH Trump (off to jail) and Biden (off to a nursing home), and DeSantis is their man. They are going to let the mounting evidence that the covid vaccines cause long-term health conditions hit the fan, and DeSantis will be praised to the Moon as a prophet who had the right idea, never mind his ineptitude on the campaign trail.
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
You know whereof you speak because it’s you with a personal fount of knowledge? Or you have references that you are using? If the latter, it sure helps us assess the credibility of what you purport. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you.
yes, I understand that, but I have tangled with him before, and wanted to make an announcement this time. Silence can be construed many ways which might miss my point. Thanks for pointing this out!
Guys, this person is a troll. He/She is here often with his/her Mission Impossible conspiracy theories. Try not to engage. He/She/They’re here once/twice a week.
I agree. I don't mind people I disagree with posting comments, but trolling is an obnoxious act meant to stop meaningful discussion in its tracks. Don't fall for this guy's rubbish. Really, who doesn't know that Ukraine was plagued with corruption before Zelenskyy was elected? And how hard his administration has worked to clean it up?
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
Your starting point for your assessment is over four years old. Produce some current analysis. Putin and his fascist oligarchs with nuclear missiles are the real threat now. Antonio Gramsci, "The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters."
John, let's say that you are right about Ukraine. It then comes down to the lesser of two evils. To permit Putin to gobble up Ukraine by adopting a policy of appeasement would only fuel his appetite for more, as happened in WWII with Germany invading Czechoslovakia. The West has decided that Putin must be stopped now. His atrocities inflicted on innocent Ukrainians is a war crime.
Richard Sutherland, I respectfully disagree with your assessment. We could go through the history of how Kyiv was the mother of Moscow, how in 1921 Novorossiya ("New Russia") was tacked onto little Ukraine by the new Soviet regime, how Zelensky capitulated to neo-Nazis and un-froze the civil war in the Donbass, how the US and NATO were threatening Russia with the possibility of a reverse Cuban Missile Crisis, how errant Ukrainian anti-missiles come down in random places and the explosions get blamed on Putin, etc.
John, respectfully, your analysis is off the mark. What matters presently is stopping a megalomaniac from expanding his reign of terror. It's a case of real politik. The Western nations do not want an authoritarian regime taking over countries on their borders. It's a case of self preservation combined with the impulse to stop someone who is commiting war crimes by killing innocent civilians intentionally.
I'll take the overwhelming evidence as seen and heard from the leader and people of Ukraine fighting for their freedom and the democracies of the world. As others have pointed out, we Americans have our own characters of corruption, fascist ideals, and moral failure. Witness the interrogation of Chris Wray, who took them down with dignity and reason. Hoping for a new morning in America. Hope, "a thing with feathers" as Emily Dickinson wrote, with the power to fly high and wide.
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
Quoting The Nation? The Nation is pro Russia. Putin is not an "autocrat". Sure.
Here's what Stephen Cohen wrote in The Nation in 2014:
In an article for The Nation, published in the March 3, 2014 issue, Cohen wrote that "media malpractice" had resulted in the "relentless demonization of Putin" who was not an "autocrat". He wrote that the American media's coverage of Russia was "less objective, less balanced, more conformist and scarcely less ideological" than it had been during the Cold War.[15] I
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
If you are looking for "Neo-Nazis" ... look no further than your backyard. In OUR military. In OUR police forces. Or in our House of Representatives. A constructive exercise for you might be to write an expose on that.
Sorry you missed the whole point of Biden's speech.
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
So, you're saying you support Putins naked land grab and war atrocities. I don't think that's a stand that looks good but seems to be one that some REPUBLICAN'TS are running on.
"Do you have any real interest in comparing our divergent points of view about what is really happening in Ukraine?"
Sure John, but, only if you are willing to move out of belief space and into provable reality space.
If you choose to reside in Belief Space, then, there is not much of a conversation to have because, well, you, like everyone, gets to believe whatever you want.
But, for those of us in reality space where data, facts and, well, reality are relevant, we cannot just sit in Belief space slinging out insults.
So , your position is that Putin is,a great guy just trying to hold onto ultimate power with cretins like the Wagner group to carry out slaughtering civilians and committing human war crimes. And you think thats a valid position. I think you've been listening to DJT and the folks that write his speeches for him.
John, Russia is sort of legendary for her war crimes, is she not? Do you think Ukrainian war crimes outweigh Russian war crimes? Russia has committed war crimes ever since invading Ukrainian borders. To Putin’s evident surprise, the Ukrainians have fought back. Not sure what ‘war crimes’ Ukrainians might be committing against aggressors on Ukrainian soil that would outweigh the initial aggression. Please explain.
Someone seems to have forgotten that our country received aid from nations when we fought for our own independence and nationhood and in defending freedom and democracy (shared interests) in other nations. Our alliances have been what elevated the US to the position we hold in the world today.
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
Cooperation is our species' superpower. Of course, the fascists say so too; but with coerced and bribed compliance, from the top of a pyramid down, while democratic nations ultimately combine individual power from aggregated collective will of the populace, up. The latter's harder to pull off, but hey...
I remember you. You seem to be in denial about humanity and the difference that leaderships make or try to make in the darkness going forward. Instead your modus is opposition, a drag, going nowhere. This makes you eligible for a title: nagging nabob of negativism, dragging up old shit. Did you read HCR above? I'll bet not, or your are perhaps a victim of your own projection.
PS- I just looked up the Agnew phrase which is correctly "nattering nabob of negativism" however I'll keep my "nagging" version.
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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."
You come here to oppose and must love the attention. That Nation article is from February 2019 and it cites old information. That's three and a half years ago. A lot has happened since but you keep nattering on regardless. You could have chosen to report on how Zelensky's administration was and is cleaning house vis a vis corruption (and Russian interference and aggression which a source of corruption). All the while Ukraine is fighting a tough war defense of their country. Ukraine has at least three separate agencies working on this problem, plus the EU. Key is replacing the corrupt with good motivated people. Ukrainians are motivated to prove worthy while struggling to win the war and join NATO and the EU. Your starting point is old but you found what you were looking for.
Buy the way The Nation was leading the cry for us to appease Russia when this war began.. for us to stay out.
I have been "repeating" by directly responding to various people's studied ignorance regarding rampant paramilitary bigotry in Ukraine. I responded to each person individually.
That Nation article was one of TEN sources in a link that I included in my original post. Here is the link again:
"The October 2021 polls delivered a shock to the presidential team. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky’s approval rating as president dropped from 33.3 percent in September to 24.7 percent in October, separated from Poroshenko’s approval rating by fewer than ten percentage points. The Razumkov Center’s poll demonstrates that Volodymyr Zelensky overtook Petro Poroshenko and now has the biggest “anti-rating” among Ukrainian politicians. What has happened to the once beloved leader?
"My answer: at the midpoint of his presidency, Zelensky himself has destroyed his image as an alternative politician. Here is what he did.
"First, Zelensky and his team started promoting the idea that he was “like any other businessperson in Ukraine.” This statement was repeated by everyone on the presidential team in response to the revelations of Zelensky’s offshore holdings, suddenly exposed in the Pandora Papers."
Regarding Zelensky making peace with so-called "neo Nazi's" these radicals were fighting off Russia in Eastern Ukraine... this now is unity Zelensky needed in fighting off Russian aggression. Russia is actually more Nazified than Ukraine, ironically. Putin used this term Nazi to plug into the history from WW2 when the Russians fought off the Nazi's ( after they colluded with them) and this made vulnerable Russians so proud that they are fighting Nazi's again... they were duped and are pathetic.
There has also been criticism of right-wing Ukrainian militia members who were fighting against the separatists in the east of Ukraine earlier this year — above all, the Azov Battalion. Umland said that although it was founded by a right-wing extremist group, it was integrated into forces of the Interior Ministry, the National Guard, in the fall of 2014.
After that, he said, there had been a separation of the movement and the regiment, with the latter still using the former's symbols but no longer being classified as part of the right-wing extremist scene. During military training courses, extremist soldiers had sometimes come to light, he said, but they had then "been revealed and named as a scandal." end quote
(translated from the German)
Schmeeckle your responses are so "off". What are you trying so hard to prove?
"Strange" since Agnew seemed such a clear example of what he was complaining of. TFG all the more so. Alas there is plenty that matters in the world that is worthy of condemnation, bit so too plenty of push against gravity; not to say that the outcome either way is certain.
Those preach that hope is for fools and resistance is futile are as delusional (or dishonest) as those who sit in the coffeehouse aflame, and declare "This is fine".
I find HCR's posts very positive, astonishingly so, always looking for the bright side and facing issues squarely morally wholly and with knowledge. Why such a negative person would continue to come here and be a drag is beyond me. But I keep learning about humanity. I always thought, and still do think that it feels better to be positive. That is not being in denial either.
It is interesting that Agnew's lasting contribution to our discourse was so much about what people do and at that while they themselves are so negative and immoral .. as today. It was a catchy phrase. The original remark was directed at the media
Anyone who describes themselves in their bio as a "The leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence" deserves not only derision but a trip to the psych ward. And your hyperbolic and breathless condemnation of countries being assaulted with unbelievable inhumanity in service of old imperial ego and avarice, as well as organizations that have provided more than a modicum of independence stability, and growth to places that would just be victims of the same kind of aggression otherwise makes you not only nuts but illiterate.
I thought exactly the same thing, but think your reference to the psych ward was a bit harsh - to those occupying it. Still, I believe he's a troll and best handled by ignoring him/her/it.
The former leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence was Michael Zuckert. I demolished his interpretation in my article, The Declaration of Independence without Locke," which is online here:
Michael Zuckert's dismissal of Burlamaqui and Hutcheson as inspiration for the Declaration of Independence is fatally flawed. Burlamaqui said exactly what Zuckert doubts that Burlamaqui could have said regarding the purpose of government (to secure rights). Zuckert's attempt to explain the "pursuit of happiness" in terms of Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding fails, because Zuckert's two chosen examples of parallel documents both echo Hutcheson and Burlamaqui (but not Locke) on obtaining happiness; and the 1776 congressional definition of happiness includes virtue, in common with the Ciceronian tradition of Hutcheson and Burlamaqui, in opposition to Locke. In this Ciceronian tradition, rights are derived from duties, and virtue is the "perfection" of human nature, with happiness as the result. This view is prominently expressed by Burlamaqui's student Vattel, whose "The Law of Nations" was carefully followed by the Continental Congress as it went through the procedure of establishing and then declaring independence.
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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 have the same problem with others' inability to spell (and pronounce) my name correctly. It's not that big a deal, and most people are pleased to stand corrected if I am polite about it.
Somebody else called me "the invisible man." I bring up issues (starting with Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund) that Biden Democrats are inclined to reject without thinking.
The starting point for my assessment is this cited quotation from "The Nation":
"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."
Bill Corgile, I don't know if you would be willing to explain your thought.
My assessment is that Biden is much worse than Trump. (When the Billy Bush recording came out during his campaign against Hillary, I knew that I could never vote for Trump.)
There are issues about Zalensky, running in the background that I don't care for. But I'd rather run Putin and Trump off the rails first and then deal with Zalensky. Putin, Trump, Orban, et al, are pushing for oligarchy worldwide and you know it !
Zelensky was the star of a Ukrainian tv show about someone who accidentally became President of his country and just kept muddling thru until it got a little better. Then Zelensky ran for President of his country, running on an anti-corruption platform and got elected. Then he had the opportunity to have the entire world watch as Trump tried to boondoggle him into participating in messing with the US election, and he resisted that, to Trump’s chagrin and the delight of many other people around the world. Then Trump lost the election, in no large part due to the organizing talents of Stacy Abrams in Georgia, as well as the political savvy of Georgia’s Secretary of State Raffensperger, who had the great good sense to record those phone calls with Trump. Putin probably thought he better do something before Zelensky developed any more political chops, and invaded Ukraine. Interestingly enough, the centuries of experience the Ukrainians have watching invaders roll across their fields kicked in, and Zelensky and that genius general of his embarrassed Putin, galvanized NATO, gave Biden an opportunity to do what he wanted to - namely, move the world toward democracy, disrupted the balance of power between Putin and his mercenary army, shook up Russia and China’s budding reapproachment, gave Africa a chance to consider other options, pushed Turkey back toward the west, and now here we are. Trump is facing indictments from all directions, Tucker Carlson got kicked off Fox for admitting on a hot mic that all the people at Fox understand Trump is a Cheeto, inflation is down to 3% and the longed-for (by Republicans and certain media outlets, like the Wall Street Journal) recession just isn’t happening. This week the staunchly Republican head of the FBI made fun of Jordan and his rabid cronies’ conspiracy theories on CSpann. Not sure what you are concerned about regarding Zelensky, but it sorta seems like he has turned his TV show into real life. I am a big dove, really , but it seems to me everyone should have given that general everything he was asking for early on, and let them turn Russia into a Satrapy of Ukraine. This would have solved so many problems, would it have not?
"The October 2021 polls delivered a shock to the presidential team. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky’s approval rating as president dropped from 33.3 percent in September to 24.7 percent in October, separated from Poroshenko’s approval rating by fewer than ten percentage points. The Razumkov Center’s poll demonstrates that Volodymyr Zelensky overtook Petro Poroshenko and now has the biggest “anti-rating” among Ukrainian politicians. What has happened to the once beloved leader?
"My answer: at the midpoint of his presidency, Zelensky himself has destroyed his image as an alternative politician. Here is what he did.
"First, Zelensky and his team started promoting the idea that he was “like any other businessperson in Ukraine.” This statement was repeated by everyone on the presidential team in response to the revelations of Zelensky’s offshore holdings, suddenly exposed in the Pandora Papers...."
Thank you for including President Biden’s historic and optimistic remarks. He treads forever forward in the light.
Judith, you’ve put it so well! President Biden has blown my expectations for his presidency out of the water. He has accomplished so much for the “average Joe and Jane “.
As for his cussing in the White House, I’m reminded of the response of the man who opened the door of our neighborhood storm shelter to see the eye of an EF-3 tornado 80 feet above him. He cussed fluently. I’m sure that Biden often feels the same way.
That’s a good one. As I often imagine what the president and his crew are dealing with, thank you for the big storm image.
I like what Beau of the Fifth said.
"Tell me you've never been in a briefing without telling me."
That was kind of my reaction. Tell me you've never been in meeting where the future of the company is at stake at the same time you're bragging about your title.
If they went in unprepared, they were lucky all they heard was cursing.
HCR seems to be in a state of denial regarding the obscenity of the Biden administration's ongoing support of Ukraine's oppressive, undemocratic one-party right-wing thug regime.
I posted some sources for my assessment here:
https://substack.com/profile/85178460-john-schmeeckle/note/c-17693509
EDIT: The NATO countries have voting domination at the genocidal International Monetary Fund. In 2014, the IMF demanded, as part of a loan deal, that Ukraine re-conquer the breakaway Donbass republics, because income from their heavy industry was needed to service the debt. The people of Ukraine have been turned into zombie soldiers, as the IMF continues to extract pounds and pounds of bloody flesh in exchange for ongoing special treatment and financial support from the NATO countries.
For the IMF as the perpetrator of the most far-reaching genocide in history, see https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-15-2023/comment/11967315
meh, not your target audience here as this is a forum for people with intelligence
Have no fear, k (and other LFAA readers). “Schmeeckle” reappears (like his namesake Gollum) every once in awhile. He is merely trying to gain subscribers, living the American Dream, and makin’ a buck. “Schmeeckle” used to be disguised as Gandalf, but somehow lost his touch. I think Frodo and Samwise cleaned his clock “back in the day.”
LOL!
It’s important to you to disparage others personally rather than offer your own view bolstered by evidence that counters that view
Hi, Selina. Just so you know, I have engaged Mr. Schmeeckle numerous times over the past year - on various topics upon which we find disagreement. This person has had various other permutations of identity in the past and most recently he is appearing as John Schmeeckle who is “By accident, I became the leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence.” He has two followers on his Substack endeavor. In MY response, as you might notice, I was responding to “k” and others on this LFAA thread who reject Mr. Schmeeckle’s ascensions.
Paul in Palatine, you appear to be confusing me with someone else.
My demolition of the "scholarship" of the previous leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence is here:
https://www.academia.edu/29164747/The_Declaration_of_Independence_without_Locke_A_Rebuttal_of_Michael_Zuckerts_Natural_Rights_Republic_
He has certainly worn ME out!
Selina, if you're going to click on his links, make sure your antivirus/anti-malware is up to date.
Selena Sweet, there a link to ten sources in my original post in this thread. Once again, the starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
HA,HA...
I remember my brother saying when Scalia got into the Supremes - don’t worry he’s really smart and will likely change his very conservative point of view once he’s heard enough cases. The very intelligent Scalia never changed. Which suggests even the intelligent get captured and begin thinking they know it all. Intelligence doesn’t equal wisdom nor sound judgment.
intelligence coupled with cynicism and ego being courted by billionaires with an agenda
Biden's speech was brilliant. It's spot on that HCR reproduced a large portion of that speech along with the report on inflation. So, inflation is at its lowest level in years? Normally, this would be great news for an incumbent president seeking re-election. But, not now. Times have changed. Issues that once made a difference don't now. Why? In part the reason is that among about fifty million or more voting Americans (Evangelicals, white supremacists and the ultra wealthy) facts don't matter. John Stuart Mill made this observation in his 1869 essay, "The Subjection of Women," - when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter.
To get a better understanding of what is going on here, Timothy Egan's book, "A Fever in the Heartland," about the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the Midwest in the 1920's is very instructive. D.C. Stephenson, head of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana in the 1920's said: "I did not sell the Klan in Indiana on hatreds. I sold it on Americanism." How is this different from "Make America Great Again?" MAGA is KKK, 21st century version. Regaining political power and installing their version of "Americanism" is the only thing that really matters to them.
Richard Sutherland "So, inflation is at its lowest level in years? Normally, this would be great news for an incumbent president seeking re-election. But, not now. Times have changed. Issues that once made a difference don't now. Why?" I blame the media in large part for their distorted coverage of current events. Some ignore the Biden Administration's clear successes while other sources minimize, bury or present on the same level as the republican's craziness. That part of the media deliberately choses a path that presents a picture of a divided country with lots of controversy. Biden's calmer, less exciting approach to rebuilding our economy and status around the world just doesn't get readership, which is all most media cares about. Another reason why HCR's work is so important.
There are tens of millions of Americans who will never know that "inflation is at its lowest level in years." That's because their source of information is solely from Fox, OAN and Newsmax. They still believe that the election was stolen and that Kari Lake won in Arizona. They believe that all other information sources are fake news. These are "True Believers." They believe what they believe and facts, even if known, would make no difference.
The NYT, WaPo and many other "mainstream" sources are also a problem. Incomplete coverage, false equivalencies and bothsiderism are far too common in their reporting. It isn't just Fox and the rest of them. It takes effort to get a clear, accurate picture of complicated current events. Unfortunately most people just don't have the time.
News on the vomit front: Kari Lake is coming to Salem (OR) to speak to some meeting of wing nuts. Last year we had the Flynn dog and pony show in Keizer. Ain't we lucky???
Please go as an observer. I understand that she wants to be TFG's VP running mate. It'd be interesting to see how she works a crowd and what their responses are. Of course, the experience may cause you to go into a deep state of depression, so if your the least bit concerned, stay home.
Never give in to the Fox news zombies- you've got facts on your side. Keep fighting the good fight.
It's a real tough slog, Dave. Very tough. But, they can't simply be ignored.
I am not a Fox AON or News Max " believer". Hearing that inflation slowed is good news but let's not start patting our self on the back just yet. Inflation has been happening for a long time and until prices start heading back to what they were before covid there is not really much good news. Companies that dominate the market like Tyson Foods, Kellogg Foods... have created record profits lately because of thier ability to control pricing kak no competition have no incentive to lower prices to pre inflation levels. Someone doesn't have to be brainwashed or in an information bubble to be skeptical enough to not feel like celebrating news that inflation has just slowed.
A real false equivalency is saying that people in the lower incomes have mad the most gains on inflation. Someone going from $9 an hour to $18 ( 100% increase) had no buying power to start with and whos job is likely part time is having a harder time dealing with bills than someone with no raise that make $100,000 a year. But news is reporting lower incomes are rising as to meet inflation. Telling people they are doing better while they see themselfs struggling is bad politics and more a tactic of MAGA world employed on the brainwashed. Hold the champaign for real world results, then people will get on board. Propaganda is bad politics to an informed electorate..save the BS for Trumpito.
"[U]ntil prices start heading back to what they were before covid there is not really much good news." Oh, please. That is an absurd -- and DANGEROUS -- expectation. You're talking about 10%+ DEFLATION to get back to prices from 3 years ago. Do you not understand the dangers of deflation? Or are you a big-banker who alone would profit by it? How much fun was it for your grandparents from 1930 to '33? Looking forward to paying the interest on the $10K/person national debt in dollars worth more, and harder to come by, than they are now?"[U]ntil prices start heading back to what they were before covid there is not really much good news." Oh, please. That is an absurd -- and DANGEROUS -- expectation. You're talking about 10%+ DEFLATION. How much did your (great-?)grandparents enjoy that from 1930-33? Do you look forward to paying the interest on the $10K-per-person national debt in more valuable, harder-to-come-by dollars than when "we" borrowed them? You "real false equivalency" assertion looks like innumerate nonsense to me.
The answer is in Richard's first paragraph: "when beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter." So the media focuses on feelings. They've got bills to pay.
When I say tough, I mean really, really tough. Take Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., for example. He headed up the Human Genome Project. If anyone understands DNA, how all living things share the same DNA (plants, animals, insects) it's because it came from a single Super Great Grandmother 3.5 billion years ago. And that modern humans emerged only 300,000 years ago and that we share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. So, when did we get a soul? And, Francis Collins is a fundamentalist Christian. The takeaway? When beliefs are based on feelings, facts don't matter. John Stuart Mill was/is right.
See "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. We have two brains. One is fast to react and slow to learn, and the other is fast to learn and slow to react. The first one is sometimes called the lizard brain. It's where emotions are initiated. The lizard brain looks pretty much like the MAGA brain. Just sayin'.
Excellent. Thank you!
Thank you, Richard. Looks like I have some further reading to do.
And thank you for calling out MAGA for what it really is.
Marycat2021, when you read "A Fever . . ." you'll see that the conclusion about MAGA being today's KKK is inescapable, right down to the white, Anglo Saxon Protestantism. DeSantis, a white Catholic, has sneaked into the group. Who could have ever imagined that such a shallow, empty, self-aggrandizing, serial lying congenital malignant narcissist such as Donald Trump could get even one vote, to say nothing about tens of millions. It is a great insult on the American populace and may point to the detrimental effects of religion on critical thinking abilities.
Richard, re: “It is a great insult on the American populace and may point to the detrimental effects of religion on critical thinking abilities.” I would add watching the short series on Prime, Happy Shining People, is a real eye opener for the far right evangelical movement that has and continues to be strong on the religious brainwashing of America.
I will check into it, Chris. "Happy Shining People." Makes me think of "the Stepford Wives."
I totally agree! This is an amazing book! However, you may have trouble sleeping after reading! There are things in this book that I would never have imagined in a million years. It is so sickening...and we are currently living in it with these MAGAs!
True, and the search for a new "D.C. Stephenson" by Rupert Murdoch is on-going. He is apparently dumping DeSantis. @Advocacy reports just now: Rupert Murdoch set to bail on Ron DeSantis, reportedly eyeing new puppet to fight Trump
The Fox News founder has reportedly soured on the real-life Disney villain's floundering presidential campaign and has privately told people his new campaign crush is Virginia Gov. Greg Youngkin. Different right-wing fearmonger, same book-banning, queer-shaming, race-baiting bullshit.
Detrimental effects of worshipping false Gods like money and power. Trading one addiction for another to avoid brutal reality in a dog eat dog world
Yes, Richard, while I was reading A Fever in the Heartland, I constantly thought about what is happening today. All the so-called patriots hear this siren song loud and clear. And I noticed that D.C. Stephenson was a slime ball who reminded me of death star except that he wasn't born into wealth....a clever lying con man though to hide and made up his background. Rs continue to screech about MAGA, family values, the military, law and order, immigration, and government spending...monstrous hypocrites.
I get what Mill was saying, and we see it every day;but perhaps the concept of "feelings" beg a closer look. It occurred to me long ago, assigned Descartes' "Discourse on Method" in college, that "I feel, therefore I am", might go deeper than "I think therefore I am". In retrospect, I can't separate them. The precise parameters of my own experiential sense that "I am" seems a bit mysterious and elusive. My consciousness seems to involve a constant flow of micro-decisions about what is true AND what "matters". I have some grasp of the physics and physiology of sunshine on my shoulder, but less of the experiential sentience, for which I can compare notes with other humans, but not adequately describe. I can appreciate the chemistry and neurology of tasting a fresh strawberry (which my wife is currently gathering) but that animal experience is both "tangible" and hard to pin down. In any case I believe that "feelings" are core to who and what we are, and serve us best when reconciled the revelations of our own intelligence.
"Dispassionate inquiry" is misrepresented by Star Treks "Mr. Spock", as many scientists, including Einstein, have been quite passionate, but also mentally disciplined with respect to logic and evidence. The urge to discover and the recognition of a promising thread implies decisions of value.
Demagogues have subjugated humanity from time immemorial, by appealing to attractive lies and prejudices. Lies sabotage our liberty, justice, and socially healthy outcomes, and must be confronted with the most accurate observations and conclusions we can muster, but also with appeals to our values. The above collection of excerpts from Biden's speech is packed with them. Current Republicans ironically seem to offer only the "blue pill" and Democrats the "red", but Republicans arrogantly and disingenuously make such a show of defending "Values"; neglecting to mention that everyone has them. It is refreshing and essential that our responsible leaders make more of a "thing" of just and liberating, forward-thinking values and help us focus on our own.
What, in the end, matters most? And who gets "a voice" in that regard in a democratic republic?
Amen!
Are you on Putin’s payroll? Are you projecting your denial?
Seth, he’s Projecting I suspect. Putin has other worries
Dave Dalton,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
HA, HA...
I named him Sméagol and imagined he looks like him too
Nancy Kish,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
HA, HA..
Anti-semite?
@Seth:
Are you capable of actually considering my detailed point of view? My starting point is this 2019 quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
"There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators."
Sounds like Trump at Mara Lago to me John. Or maybe Fox and Friends.
Not Ukraine.
And DeSantis. Pure, pure neo-fascism.
Use evil instead of pure, works better.
Nothing pure in neofascism, though I get your point.
I invented a conspiracy theory about DeSantis:
The Establishment has decided to pull the plug on BOTH Trump (off to jail) and Biden (off to a nursing home), and DeSantis is their man. They are going to let the mounting evidence that the covid vaccines cause long-term health conditions hit the fan, and DeSantis will be praised to the Moon as a prophet who had the right idea, never mind his ineptitude on the campaign trail.
But of course, that's just a conspiracy theory.
Mike S,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
HA, HA...
You know whereof you speak because it’s you with a personal fount of knowledge? Or you have references that you are using? If the latter, it sure helps us assess the credibility of what you purport. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you.
Selina Sutherland, my original post included a link with ten further links to sources backing my point of view. Maybe you didn't see that?
I choose not to respond to this commenter, waste of my brain time.
Or read anything after his first sentence.
Actually one only has to see his/her/their name and know to ignore the post.
Ed, it occurs to me that, paradoxically, you did comment! Silence might be your best course of action.
yes, I understand that, but I have tangled with him before, and wanted to make an announcement this time. Silence can be construed many ways which might miss my point. Thanks for pointing this out!
Jim Duffey,
Regarding Ed, I have to agree.
Yeah, he wrote some word salad to me. Refused to acknowledge. Ignore.
Is this a parody or perhaps you are angling for a vice-presidential spot on the Conspiracy Party ticket headed by RFK,Jr?
Guys, this person is a troll. He/She is here often with his/her Mission Impossible conspiracy theories. Try not to engage. He/She/They’re here once/twice a week.
I agree. I don't mind people I disagree with posting comments, but trolling is an obnoxious act meant to stop meaningful discussion in its tracks. Don't fall for this guy's rubbish. Really, who doesn't know that Ukraine was plagued with corruption before Zelenskyy was elected? And how hard his administration has worked to clean it up?
Karen Livolsi,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Jerry Carbone,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Your starting point for your assessment is over four years old. Produce some current analysis. Putin and his fascist oligarchs with nuclear missiles are the real threat now. Antonio Gramsci, "The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters."
John, let's say that you are right about Ukraine. It then comes down to the lesser of two evils. To permit Putin to gobble up Ukraine by adopting a policy of appeasement would only fuel his appetite for more, as happened in WWII with Germany invading Czechoslovakia. The West has decided that Putin must be stopped now. His atrocities inflicted on innocent Ukrainians is a war crime.
Richard Sutherland, I respectfully disagree with your assessment. We could go through the history of how Kyiv was the mother of Moscow, how in 1921 Novorossiya ("New Russia") was tacked onto little Ukraine by the new Soviet regime, how Zelensky capitulated to neo-Nazis and un-froze the civil war in the Donbass, how the US and NATO were threatening Russia with the possibility of a reverse Cuban Missile Crisis, how errant Ukrainian anti-missiles come down in random places and the explosions get blamed on Putin, etc.
John, respectfully, your analysis is off the mark. What matters presently is stopping a megalomaniac from expanding his reign of terror. It's a case of real politik. The Western nations do not want an authoritarian regime taking over countries on their borders. It's a case of self preservation combined with the impulse to stop someone who is commiting war crimes by killing innocent civilians intentionally.
Correct.
and now they are the target of genocide by a far far worse regime.
k.paschal,
Are you just saying that, or do you have a developed point of view?
I'll take the overwhelming evidence as seen and heard from the leader and people of Ukraine fighting for their freedom and the democracies of the world. As others have pointed out, we Americans have our own characters of corruption, fascist ideals, and moral failure. Witness the interrogation of Chris Wray, who took them down with dignity and reason. Hoping for a new morning in America. Hope, "a thing with feathers" as Emily Dickinson wrote, with the power to fly high and wide.
Lasley Gober,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Quoting The Nation? The Nation is pro Russia. Putin is not an "autocrat". Sure.
Here's what Stephen Cohen wrote in The Nation in 2014:
In an article for The Nation, published in the March 3, 2014 issue, Cohen wrote that "media malpractice" had resulted in the "relentless demonization of Putin" who was not an "autocrat". He wrote that the American media's coverage of Russia was "less objective, less balanced, more conformist and scarcely less ideological" than it had been during the Cold War.[15] I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_F._Cohen
Kathleen,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Awww, bless your heart.
If you are looking for "Neo-Nazis" ... look no further than your backyard. In OUR military. In OUR police forces. Or in our House of Representatives. A constructive exercise for you might be to write an expose on that.
Sorry you missed the whole point of Biden's speech.
Bill Alstrom,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
So, you're saying you support Putins naked land grab and war atrocities. I don't think that's a stand that looks good but seems to be one that some REPUBLICAN'TS are running on.
Not at all. Do you have any real interest in comparing our divergent points of view about what is really happening in Ukraine?
"Do you have any real interest in comparing our divergent points of view about what is really happening in Ukraine?"
Sure John, but, only if you are willing to move out of belief space and into provable reality space.
If you choose to reside in Belief Space, then, there is not much of a conversation to have because, well, you, like everyone, gets to believe whatever you want.
But, for those of us in reality space where data, facts and, well, reality are relevant, we cannot just sit in Belief space slinging out insults.
So , your position is that Putin is,a great guy just trying to hold onto ultimate power with cretins like the Wagner group to carry out slaughtering civilians and committing human war crimes. And you think thats a valid position. I think you've been listening to DJT and the folks that write his speeches for him.
Start making sense.
@William Whitman:
I have said nothing about Putin, but you appear to be having fantasy hallucinations.
Do you think that Russian war crimes outweigh Ukrainian war crimes?
Beyond that, I shared the starting point for my assessment of the Ukraine mess in a reply to Seth here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-12-2023/comment/18514195
John, Russia is sort of legendary for her war crimes, is she not? Do you think Ukrainian war crimes outweigh Russian war crimes? Russia has committed war crimes ever since invading Ukrainian borders. To Putin’s evident surprise, the Ukrainians have fought back. Not sure what ‘war crimes’ Ukrainians might be committing against aggressors on Ukrainian soil that would outweigh the initial aggression. Please explain.
Someone seems to have forgotten that our country received aid from nations when we fought for our own independence and nationhood and in defending freedom and democracy (shared interests) in other nations. Our alliances have been what elevated the US to the position we hold in the world today.
Mark Hearny,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Cooperation is our species' superpower. Of course, the fascists say so too; but with coerced and bribed compliance, from the top of a pyramid down, while democratic nations ultimately combine individual power from aggregated collective will of the populace, up. The latter's harder to pull off, but hey...
I will suggest that another "superpower," or rather our greatest natural resource, is the creative power of the human mind.
I remember you. You seem to be in denial about humanity and the difference that leaderships make or try to make in the darkness going forward. Instead your modus is opposition, a drag, going nowhere. This makes you eligible for a title: nagging nabob of negativism, dragging up old shit. Did you read HCR above? I'll bet not, or your are perhaps a victim of your own projection.
PS- I just looked up the Agnew phrase which is correctly "nattering nabob of negativism" however I'll keep my "nagging" version.
Potter,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Select copy repeat, select copy repeat....
You come here to oppose and must love the attention. That Nation article is from February 2019 and it cites old information. That's three and a half years ago. A lot has happened since but you keep nattering on regardless. You could have chosen to report on how Zelensky's administration was and is cleaning house vis a vis corruption (and Russian interference and aggression which a source of corruption). All the while Ukraine is fighting a tough war defense of their country. Ukraine has at least three separate agencies working on this problem, plus the EU. Key is replacing the corrupt with good motivated people. Ukrainians are motivated to prove worthy while struggling to win the war and join NATO and the EU. Your starting point is old but you found what you were looking for.
Buy the way The Nation was leading the cry for us to appease Russia when this war began.. for us to stay out.
Potter,
I have been "repeating" by directly responding to various people's studied ignorance regarding rampant paramilitary bigotry in Ukraine. I responded to each person individually.
That Nation article was one of TEN sources in a link that I included in my original post. Here is the link again:
https://substack.com/profile/85178460-john-schmeeckle/note/c-17693509
After that article from The Nation, here is a good one to examine (with embedded links serving as footnotes):
"How Zelensky Made Peace with Neo-Nazis"
https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/04/how-zelensky-made-peace-with-neo-nazis/
And here is a quote from a third article:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/just-all-others-end-zelensky-alternative
"The October 2021 polls delivered a shock to the presidential team. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky’s approval rating as president dropped from 33.3 percent in September to 24.7 percent in October, separated from Poroshenko’s approval rating by fewer than ten percentage points. The Razumkov Center’s poll demonstrates that Volodymyr Zelensky overtook Petro Poroshenko and now has the biggest “anti-rating” among Ukrainian politicians. What has happened to the once beloved leader?
"My answer: at the midpoint of his presidency, Zelensky himself has destroyed his image as an alternative politician. Here is what he did.
"First, Zelensky and his team started promoting the idea that he was “like any other businessperson in Ukraine.” This statement was repeated by everyone on the presidential team in response to the revelations of Zelensky’s offshore holdings, suddenly exposed in the Pandora Papers."
The third article quote from polls 2021 and before prior to the Russian invasion Feb 2022. Zelensky's support rose tremendously
Here it from the SAME author this year:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/constitutional-process-wartime-ukraine
---------------------
Regarding Zelensky making peace with so-called "neo Nazi's" these radicals were fighting off Russia in Eastern Ukraine... this now is unity Zelensky needed in fighting off Russian aggression. Russia is actually more Nazified than Ukraine, ironically. Putin used this term Nazi to plug into the history from WW2 when the Russians fought off the Nazi's ( after they colluded with them) and this made vulnerable Russians so proud that they are fighting Nazi's again... they were duped and are pathetic.
Read:
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2022/opinion/russias-long-history-of-neo-nazis
https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/13/when-russia-calls-others-nazis-it-should-be-taking-a-hard-look-at-itself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Nazism_in_Russia
****
From https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-is-there-any-truth-to-russias-ukrainian-nazis-propaganda/a-63970461 :
"What about the Azov Battalion?
There has also been criticism of right-wing Ukrainian militia members who were fighting against the separatists in the east of Ukraine earlier this year — above all, the Azov Battalion. Umland said that although it was founded by a right-wing extremist group, it was integrated into forces of the Interior Ministry, the National Guard, in the fall of 2014.
After that, he said, there had been a separation of the movement and the regiment, with the latter still using the former's symbols but no longer being classified as part of the right-wing extremist scene. During military training courses, extremist soldiers had sometimes come to light, he said, but they had then "been revealed and named as a scandal." end quote
(translated from the German)
Schmeeckle your responses are so "off". What are you trying so hard to prove?
"Strange" since Agnew seemed such a clear example of what he was complaining of. TFG all the more so. Alas there is plenty that matters in the world that is worthy of condemnation, bit so too plenty of push against gravity; not to say that the outcome either way is certain.
Those preach that hope is for fools and resistance is futile are as delusional (or dishonest) as those who sit in the coffeehouse aflame, and declare "This is fine".
I find HCR's posts very positive, astonishingly so, always looking for the bright side and facing issues squarely morally wholly and with knowledge. Why such a negative person would continue to come here and be a drag is beyond me. But I keep learning about humanity. I always thought, and still do think that it feels better to be positive. That is not being in denial either.
It is interesting that Agnew's lasting contribution to our discourse was so much about what people do and at that while they themselves are so negative and immoral .. as today. It was a catchy phrase. The original remark was directed at the media
Anyone who describes themselves in their bio as a "The leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence" deserves not only derision but a trip to the psych ward. And your hyperbolic and breathless condemnation of countries being assaulted with unbelievable inhumanity in service of old imperial ego and avarice, as well as organizations that have provided more than a modicum of independence stability, and growth to places that would just be victims of the same kind of aggression otherwise makes you not only nuts but illiterate.
I thought exactly the same thing, but think your reference to the psych ward was a bit harsh - to those occupying it. Still, I believe he's a troll and best handled by ignoring him/her/it.
Nancy Fleming,
You may view my reply to James here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-12-2023/comment/18542362
But why would she?
My thought exactly!
Miselle,
You may view my reply to James here:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-12-2023/comment/18542362
James,
The former leading expert on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence was Michael Zuckert. I demolished his interpretation in my article, The Declaration of Independence without Locke," which is online here:
https://www.academia.edu/29164747/The_Declaration_of_Independence_without_Locke_A_Rebuttal_of_Michael_Zuckerts_Natural_Rights_Republic_
Here is the synopsis of my article:
Michael Zuckert's dismissal of Burlamaqui and Hutcheson as inspiration for the Declaration of Independence is fatally flawed. Burlamaqui said exactly what Zuckert doubts that Burlamaqui could have said regarding the purpose of government (to secure rights). Zuckert's attempt to explain the "pursuit of happiness" in terms of Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding fails, because Zuckert's two chosen examples of parallel documents both echo Hutcheson and Burlamaqui (but not Locke) on obtaining happiness; and the 1776 congressional definition of happiness includes virtue, in common with the Ciceronian tradition of Hutcheson and Burlamaqui, in opposition to Locke. In this Ciceronian tradition, rights are derived from duties, and virtue is the "perfection" of human nature, with happiness as the result. This view is prominently expressed by Burlamaqui's student Vattel, whose "The Law of Nations" was carefully followed by the Continental Congress as it went through the procedure of establishing and then declaring independence.
How’s the weather in St.Petersburg? Perhaps the midnight sun has left you short of sleep and confused about which way is up.
Jon Margulis,
The starting point for my assessment is this quote from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
If you can't spell my name right when it's right there in front of you, why should I pay attention to anything you have to say?
Jon Margolis,
I have the same problem with others' inability to spell (and pronounce) my name correctly. It's not that big a deal, and most people are pleased to stand corrected if I am polite about it.
Then there's the fact that I don't like trolls. Like you.
it appears you don't exist
Somebody else called me "the invisible man." I bring up issues (starting with Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund) that Biden Democrats are inclined to reject without thinking.
Jonn, thanks for a sample of your screed! Not interested in your propaganda nor alternate reality! By the way John, nice picture of you!
Louis Giglio,
The starting point for my assessment is this cited quotation from "The Nation":
"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/#aoh=16892411860434&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fpolitics%2Fneo-nazis-far-right-ukraine%2F
Unfortunately, there are different degrees of awful. I'd rather Zalensky than Putin and Trump.
Bill Corgile, I don't know if you would be willing to explain your thought.
My assessment is that Biden is much worse than Trump. (When the Billy Bush recording came out during his campaign against Hillary, I knew that I could never vote for Trump.)
There are issues about Zalensky, running in the background that I don't care for. But I'd rather run Putin and Trump off the rails first and then deal with Zalensky. Putin, Trump, Orban, et al, are pushing for oligarchy worldwide and you know it !
Zelensky was the star of a Ukrainian tv show about someone who accidentally became President of his country and just kept muddling thru until it got a little better. Then Zelensky ran for President of his country, running on an anti-corruption platform and got elected. Then he had the opportunity to have the entire world watch as Trump tried to boondoggle him into participating in messing with the US election, and he resisted that, to Trump’s chagrin and the delight of many other people around the world. Then Trump lost the election, in no large part due to the organizing talents of Stacy Abrams in Georgia, as well as the political savvy of Georgia’s Secretary of State Raffensperger, who had the great good sense to record those phone calls with Trump. Putin probably thought he better do something before Zelensky developed any more political chops, and invaded Ukraine. Interestingly enough, the centuries of experience the Ukrainians have watching invaders roll across their fields kicked in, and Zelensky and that genius general of his embarrassed Putin, galvanized NATO, gave Biden an opportunity to do what he wanted to - namely, move the world toward democracy, disrupted the balance of power between Putin and his mercenary army, shook up Russia and China’s budding reapproachment, gave Africa a chance to consider other options, pushed Turkey back toward the west, and now here we are. Trump is facing indictments from all directions, Tucker Carlson got kicked off Fox for admitting on a hot mic that all the people at Fox understand Trump is a Cheeto, inflation is down to 3% and the longed-for (by Republicans and certain media outlets, like the Wall Street Journal) recession just isn’t happening. This week the staunchly Republican head of the FBI made fun of Jordan and his rabid cronies’ conspiracy theories on CSpann. Not sure what you are concerned about regarding Zelensky, but it sorta seems like he has turned his TV show into real life. I am a big dove, really , but it seems to me everyone should have given that general everything he was asking for early on, and let them turn Russia into a Satrapy of Ukraine. This would have solved so many problems, would it have not?
You're an amazing writer. Thanx M.R. !
Zelensky was, "Kolomoysky’s puppet," quoting President Poroshenko, as discussed in this article:
"How One Ukrainian Billionaire Funded Hunter Biden, President Volodymyr Zelensky, And Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion"
https://greatgameindia.com/hunter-biden-zelensky-neo-nazi/
Bill Corgile, perhaps we will later have an opportunity to revisit our differing assesments of the global situation.
plop
Please deposit your bile elsewhere.
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/just-all-others-end-zelensky-alternative
"The October 2021 polls delivered a shock to the presidential team. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky’s approval rating as president dropped from 33.3 percent in September to 24.7 percent in October, separated from Poroshenko’s approval rating by fewer than ten percentage points. The Razumkov Center’s poll demonstrates that Volodymyr Zelensky overtook Petro Poroshenko and now has the biggest “anti-rating” among Ukrainian politicians. What has happened to the once beloved leader?
"My answer: at the midpoint of his presidency, Zelensky himself has destroyed his image as an alternative politician. Here is what he did.
"First, Zelensky and his team started promoting the idea that he was “like any other businessperson in Ukraine.” This statement was repeated by everyone on the presidential team in response to the revelations of Zelensky’s offshore holdings, suddenly exposed in the Pandora Papers...."
IMF and World Band has committed atrocities around the world for decades is the only thing I agree with John.