486 Comments

Shouldn't there be something equivalent of the 25 th amendment for certifiably insane Congress members like Boebert Gaetz Greene and my own Representative Chip Roy?

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MTG needs to be introduced to a Louisville Slugger. Repeatedly. Although her face looks like she already made the acquaintance.

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It's obvious Dr. Richardson spends lot of time researching and writing the Letters From an American newsletter. She is so esteemed that she landed a one on one conversation with the President of the United States.

Then. People in the comments section write violent, misogynist comments. Depressing.

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I couldn't agree with you more, Barbara. It's sad. Trump took ugliness to another level in politics--demeaning colleagues, name-calling, making fun of the disabled. Of course these pathetic actions were based on his lack of intelligence but now this sort of behavior is seeping into the Democratic Party and its members, some of whom participate in political discourse on Heather's site. They have been infected by the Trump Virus. I agree with Michelle Obama: "When they go low, we go high." So take your ugliness elsewhere, fellas.

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On this issue, I disagree with Michelle Obama. You cannot play nice with despicable, lying, mean-spirited ppl in the Repugnant Party who have found a groundswell of ignorant like-minded ppl who eat up their lies & conspiracy theories as if it were factual. We are in a culture war which the bigots are winning. To parafrase, “When they go low, stomp their ass.”

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As an old political warrior from the battles of the 1960's, going to war is my first instinct. I'm good at it. I always chafe at Michelle Obama's much quoted snippet. We Democrats are good at thinking about things like going high or believing love is the answer, all of which might be true if we could ever get organized and get things done. I believe there is a middle way to conflict but before we can move the culture even a step closer to it we have got to get our s**t together and, first and foremost, win some elections. Politics in America (as anywhere) is about those cringe-worthy subjects--money and powerI don't know that we need to get ugly but I do think that anger in the face of what these idiotsl are doing, is essential.

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Yes Dean. People think the Light is all about sweetness. Yet the Guardians of Light are the fiercest in the Universe. And their arrows aim well. When evil is afoot, it is not the time to remain in a superior high post looking down on it all. Time to get fierce and strategically in the freedom trenches with the Light at our backs and in our eyes.

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I get it. One of the Lincoln Project folks said in 2019 during the fight to oust the evil empire and he was enjoining the Democrats to get tough. He said. "Do you want to be woke or win?" Someone asked me how could I like the Lincoln Project street fighters. My answer--they win.

And yeah. I am one of those old 1960's political warriors too. The best purpose of Michelle Obama's quote is to at least hold us back from getting consumed by the nasty stuff and forget to win. I have no doubt Barack Obama employed some "interesting" backroom talks to achieve this Presidency.

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We did win the Presidential election and we did flip the GA senators!

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Metaphorically. Show them up. Like Emmet Till’s mother did when she had his funeral with his casket open.

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On the other hand. My Dad taught us never to stoop to another person's level. I believe that when we get down and dirty with these folks they have won.

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I'd like to call out the difference between what Biden and NATO is doing, and what Putin is doing.

Putin is "stomping their ass." Or would be, if his army were not falling apart. He's going in and "setting things right" according to his lights.

Biden and NATO are coming together to "sqeeze his nuts." Tighter, and tighter, until Putin either backs down or passes out. I hope that when he does (either outcome), they'll observe Russia's boundaries, unlike when we decided do our own form of "ass stomping" in Iraq, under GWB.

I'm not opposed to getting as rough as the Republicans in the campaign wars, but not at the cost of becoming as vile as the Republicans. And not at the cost of resorting to lies and propaganda, not because they don't work, but because they don't win the war, they only win the battle at the cost of corrupting the teller and encouraging the opponents to fight harder.

I'm not the right person to be advising the generals in that war. I'm not competent, or rough enough. I need to stand back and let them work. But by God, they need to step up and go to war against the Republican machine.

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Joseph, I agree 100%. There's all the difference in the world between what Putin is doing and what Biden and NATO are doing. The difference perhaps is in motive, in some ethical foundation or lack of one, in how far we are willing to go past the traditions of decent human behavior in order to secure what we want. What frightens me is that sometimes we liberal Democrats can slip too far to the other side and, as you say, in this battle on the home front against the Republicans and what they have come to represent, we are at risk, to use President Biden's word, of losing our souls. It is a very fine line to walk. Meanwhile, to quote Edmund Burke, good men in this country do nothing. Putin is a madman, but he is not much madder than TFG. He has an army at his command. A big difference. I spoke with a friend today whose son does some kind of work that gives him access to several sources of intelligence from inside Russia. Apparently, at least one word on the streets of Moscow is that Vlad is strung out on steroids. Hmmmm

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Wholeheartedly agree!

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Randy, Substack is not allowing me to like your comment, but I LIKE it very much. It reminded me of how scandal-free and dignified was the Obama presidency and his family while in the White House.

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If the heart icon doesn't turn red, refresh your browser page and you should see it as red. If not, click on it again.

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Thank you, Mim. I will try this next time.

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Actually, dignified before, during and after his Presidency. THAT is being PRESIDENTIAL!

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I was thinking the exact same thing, Rose.

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Nope. She also said that “going high is not easy. It means taking the harder path and standing fierce against hatred.”

We are sending weapons to Ukraine to aid them in returning blow for blow. Diplomacy will not work against Putin’s delusions. The same delusions, that in the case of certain legislators, deserve action. I say to the woodshed with them. What will you say to them when they openly stand behind fascism and send their minions to round you up?

Not on my watch. I’ll have my Louisville slugger in my hand regardless of how unsophisticated it might be.

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Are you all advocating for use of a Louisville Slugger realizing that use of said quality bat can KILL a human? PLEASE BE AWARE OF THAT FACT - before you advocate such use on another human being. Batters in baseball hit accidentally in the face by a bat have sustained brain injury.

We DO have peaceful ways of advocating threat to a person's integrity. Legal ones, in fact. Or even making it impossible for people in Congress like Greene and Cawthorn to never win a seat again.

Good grief - use your good minds!

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Mar 19, 2022·edited Mar 19, 2022

I am sickened to death by the course this forum has taken. I certainly understand self defense but I don't understand or respect the advocacy of violence.

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Standing fierce against hatred does not necessarily imply acting with hatred and violence. I take my cues from how Michelle Obama handled herself.

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Defending democracy, one’s health and livelihood when living in a sovereign country does not come under the category of hatred and violence. Killing civilians to reach your goal of conquer, annihilation, and greed does.

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Never ignore the context! Thank you!

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Me? I believe one can go “high” but be cunning and strategical and achieve even more than “brute force” concepts you find with too many GOP’ers!

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It takes brains. I’m reminded of the dowager Duchess in Downton Abbey. She reminded me of my own grandmother, who, as they say in the south “wouldn’t let butter melt in her mouth”; but left you with a clear understanding of what she had just said, in no uncertain words.

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I agree. Tough does not equate with ugly, and vice versa. Ugly is just ugly.

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My motto… Say what you mean, but don’t be mean.

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I totally agree. It is so easy to slip down into their discourse and I have been there too many times. It doesn’t do anything for my morale and I work to pull myself up. It’s hard when “they” have sunk so low. But… we all need to try.

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Fine Randy take the bullet hole out of my flag!

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Today WAPO said the 1/6 committee is looking for writers that can explain its findings in a way that ordinary folks will read, understand, and enjoy. I recommended there, and repeat it here, that Heather C. Richardson is someone they should talk to.

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Still, I can understand the anger. I got suspended for a day on twitter for "Hateful Conduct" when I called MTG a "Cretin" which unlike Idiot, Moron & Imbecile, is a dated but still used diagnosis (a condition characterized by physical deformity and learning disabilities that is caused by congenital thyroid deficiency). And, she still looks micro-cephalic to me like some developmentally disabled ppl I have worked with who actually have more sense than she has exhibited.

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I can understand the rage/anger too. It was a real struggle during the horrific Trump Administration to control my hatred. I even despised what they were doing to our White House. Turning the South Lawn into a jumbo-tron RNC circus made me heartsick. We are not alone in these times of high emotions.

I have this high falutin' drive to not let them win. To not let them change our national discourse, our culture and our way of speaking to each other about things. I absolutely refuse to let them set the tone for this Country.

"I swear I will not dishonor my soul with hatred, but offer myself humbly as

a guardian of nature,

as a healer of misery,

as a messenger of wonder,

as an architect of peace."

~ Diane Ackerman, “I Praise My Destroyer: Poems”

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Nicely said, Barbara. I second your motion to "refuse to let them set the tone for this country."

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All the while some here are okay with a comment about bludgeoning another human being with a baseball bat setting the tone for today's early comments. Are they not setting the tone for our country as well? I'm sad and disappointed.

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You neglected to mention the new rose garden- where all the colored roses were replaced by white ones. Melania greatest achievement.

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Oh yeah. Man that one hurt too. I wonder if it has been fixed.

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Zelenskyy has reintroduced us to good rhetoric.

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Preceded by President Biden. The decency of President Biden continually amazes and gratifies me.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

I completely agree with the referenced quote/tweet(?) from RadioFreeTom, that it is one thing for Empty Greene to be hooting and shouting illogical, senseless baloney at every opportunity given her...but quite another for an elected Representative of the U.S. government to be slinging pro-Russian propaganda about like so much hash, in such a fashion as to be noticed and used by Russian State TV.

Of course, Empty Greene should be expelled from Congress but McCarthy is such a spineless invertebrate, snugly in TFG's pocket that he won't even censure her.

I can only hope she at least gets primaried, and if not, then soundly defeated in the midterms this November.

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More likely, fetal alcohol syndrome.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

I acknowledge what you are observing Barbara. I have started to wonder about it quite a bit. I wonder if living in a hyper-polarized mediasphere as we do today and with social media’s ability to comment from a keyboard, it has flattened out our humanness. As humans we are compromising beings, Timothy Snyder recently commented to Ezra Klein on his podcast. He goes on: “And as we try to go halfway with our machines we tend to flatten ourselves out and become unable to imagine the future and all that could be possible”. I read that as leaving us in a state of frustrated impotence. Outrage, vitriol, disdain, snark, contempt are intentionally provoked emotions to sell advertising on the media we spend most of our hours on. We carry that learned response behavior over into the rest of our lives. It has made us smaller and more reactively meaner. Yet I believe most of us would rather keep it together. But the frustration at what is happening today sometimes comes out through the seams, even in a quality comment section as HCR’s. For myself with this comment community, I am trying to relearn robust debate and deep pondering.

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I love robust and respectful debate. And we are all challenged as you have described. It's as if while we pound away on our (machine) keyboards we struggle to maintain our humanity. We have chosen to forego the sound of a loved one's voice for a text message. We are truly inundated with the most horrible people saying frightening and outrageous things and doing worse and no one does anything about it.

I hope that on this forum we can help each other keep it together.

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I believe the validity and impact of our statements are greatly reduced when tinged with emotional, negative comments about a person or group. It’s very human but defeats the purpose.

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Indeed. There are comments I skip over due to the vitriolic cynicism. So many informative and thought provoking ideas here that cannot be heard over the name calling. I often myself struggle with the urge to vent and have to remind myself that it is not productive. Dismounting my high horse now. Hard to read from up here.

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The only choice is succinct meaning.

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"and with social media’s ability to comment from a keyboard, it has flattened out our humanness."

exactly correct. people sitting across the table don't yell at each other an insult each other.

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Surely you have sat down to eat with an Irish Family!

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Mar 19, 2022·edited Mar 19, 2022

Pat, well, I have sat down with a Greek family. But, that does not count. They yell every time they talk. :-O

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It is difficult. I mentioned a couple days ago that my ex-classmate had posted a picture of Zelensky that was favorable. I liked it. Then the first comment was from another ex-classmate of mine who suggested he replace Biden. I sorely wanted to answer that, but contented myself with the angry emoji. I decided it was not worth my time and energy.

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Good words, actually really good words. Not all of us are so enamored of intellectuals as some of us are baby killers and such. But here we all are, there are the mass graves. We gonna pontificate our way out or spit back ? I try to be the person that Heather put this together for. Not do I for one moment think any of us geniuses can be that person as we react to the stunning blows we are receiving. I guess I weigh in with Christine as a fighter and desert my better angels.

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I embrace my better angels, and you, Pat, in joining the fight for peace.

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Barbara-your comments today were very helpful towards promoting "non-emotional" discourse.

Some obviously unsolicited food for thought...

A practical way to focus on results in a corporate training environment was to do what is below at the beginning of a training event. THE main premise being to emphasize choices connected to why participants were taking time out of their day to be there in the first place (and a bit of tongue in cheek acknowledgement that some may have had no idea why they were there!)

On a Power Point slide, the following would be shown:

"Which of the following applies to your participation in this training:

-I am a "vacationer"-here because it's better than being in the office

-I am a "hostage"-here because someone told me I had to attend

-I am a "saboteur"-here because a "captive" audience environment like this is a way to vent my frustrations and/or axes to grind

-I am a "learner"-here because I seek to use the information presented today, with an open mind, to achieve specific results

A brief discussion would follow, taking note and acting upon responses accordingly. "Saboteurs" (self-admitted, or most likely, via body language or silence) then required some graduate level influence skills if they got in the way of the learners in the room.

There are obviously "learners" in this forum, who seek perspective from Dr. HRC and, one hopes, associated action. Conversely, there are some here whose name calling, wishing harm on anyone, and resorting to emotion detracts (dare I say sabotages?) the discussion. All of us have "hot button" issues that provoke emotion AND, since we need to pay for the privilege of commenting here there is no assertion intended that disagreement constitutes "sabotage." With the many serious issues before us and associated prioritization of action to be taken, what better time than now to focus on the "learners" here!

Pheww! How verbose. Thanks again for your comments and hopefully my perspective is helpful.

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Thank You for this. I really enjoyed your perspective.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Thank you Barbara. This discussion reminded me of the writing of David Richo where he discusses the differences between Drama and True Anger, drama being an avoidance of true feeling vs responsible anger. I use his list quite a bit in my work, and while it's too long to list here, it can be searched. The two that stand out to me in this instance are: "Drama is violent, aggressive, out of control, derisive, punitive - True Anger is nonviolent, always in control and within safe limits; Drama creates stress because one's bruised, scared ego is impotently enraged - True anger releases the aliveness in one's true self."

I believe true anger is powerful and, when responsibly expressed and directed, can bring about needed change.

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It's either that or her face is the "Sold" sign of her soul. She's the small town richwitch/lifetime mean girl.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

I agree completely, Barbara

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Boy Howdy, Barbara. Particularly frustrating after reading an opinion piece that I wholeheartedly agree with, only to read attacks in the comments toward the author or the newspaper itself for "writing such drivel."

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I agree Barbara. It accomplishes nothing worthy.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

TC, now this is the kind of talk that will get you elected President of the United States!!

Although I have historically avoided commenting on people's physical appearance mostly because my own appearance is not what you might order from a catalog, MTG's ugly is not physical.

Her ugly is her choice......hence......ripping on her appearance is almost, but not quite, fair.

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I replied a "Bravo, TC" then took it down. My actual golden rules-do unto others-WWJD? mentality said don't say that. I feel the same as you, Mike.

That being said, I have known people who might not be considered attractive, but they very much are so to me because of their character. I am a person attracted to eyes, the mirrors to the soul. I read a lot into character by looking at eyes. (Also, I once worked for a manager that many initially found attractive, but was a slime and that impacted opinions about him. He wasn't so handsome anymore when you saw his inner thoughts reflected on his face.)

I think her sneering, contemptuous demeanor is reflected in her expressions as well, and they honestly DO render her unattractive. Beauty fades in our youth oriented culture, those who desire to remain attractive might wish to show humanity a warm and loving heart.

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Miselle, concur with all you wrote. It's tough to rip on another's physical appearance. Trump did that routinely though, and, Americans loved it.

Hence, my observation that TC may soon be President.

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In this case, the ugly comes from inside!

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Although I understand where you’re coming from, this is the kind of comment that we should leave to the other side. If we want to show we are better than them, we need to be better than they are.

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And the us vs them rhetoric continues to polarize. I have done it and regret it.

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Ugly through and through

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

My fave bat. My alternative to a gun in the house. One night, I used it chasing someone down the street that thought about looting from my garage. I’ll volunteer to bring it to the party.

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I prefer to focus on a person's actions than appearance. Just sayin'. And I would wish violence on no one, because violence tends to beget violence. Not getting re-elected would be the worst thing for her and her cronies at this point.

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Good point. Unfortunately, the Republican committment to daily democracy is why we have her to comment about.

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Better to keep arguments substantive rather than insulting people for their looks. This doesn't hurt the target, but it does hurt people who don't look the way we think they should.

If this seems trivial, talk to fat people who've had to live through hearing Trump called all kinds of disgusting names not about him being the most destructive narcissistic president we've ever had, but about his weight.

I understand the instinct to use whatever you can to insult these people who are trying to destroy us. But as someone deeply involved with, most particularly, fighting the extraordinary bias that fat Americans suffer from, I speak up about the importance of staying substantive in our criticism.

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TCinLA I am rather surprised at your comment. I expect intelligent comments from you - not ones purporting violence. Yes, MTG is a real nut case and I'd tend to call her a traitor - even though technically she isn't. I'm usually inspired by your comments. Think about this - the people who read Dr. Richardson ALSO look up to you.

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TC has been called out repeatedly about hi abusive language toward others. He clings to it apparently as part of his sense of his identity. Not many here actually look up to him, I don't think, though some consider him clickbait for their own unacknowledged prejudices. It is sad because he does occasionally, despite himself, make some interesting observations. If only he'd learn some critical thinking and monitor himself, yes, he could be a meaningful contributor. But as is, I mostly just skip over him. Not worth the time and effort.

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So we have a guy the next intersection down. He parks construction equipment on his lawn. He still has pretty much a whole tree, in sections, piled there. There's an LED-lit American Flag on the side of his house, about the size of a large picture window. And on the full-height flagpole he has next to his driveway is a flag that says 'FUCK BIDEN'.

I'm not going to approach him. Doesn't feel safe at all.

But if I were to approach him, that's exactly what I'd tell him. That I don't feel safe with him in the neighborhood. That he is behaving like a deranged right-wing nutcase, the kind of guy who'd drive his car into a crowd, or shoot up a grade school, or try to drag the Vice President out of the Capitol and lynch him on a hastily-constructed gallows. A lawless person, a violent person, a person full of rage and insanity. I would say that he frightens the children. That he frightens me.

I'm not going to say any of these things. Because I suspect he might very well be these things, and I don't want to set him off....

The one thing that makes it feel tolerable is that I know the nearer neighbors, and they are lovely. And one person down the street has a car with Bernie stickers all over the back. He may also be deranged -- it's a bit extreme. But I'm not terribly worried about him running down children with that car.

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Have you consulted with the local authorities to see if your neighbor is violating building codes or other regulations. (You cold tell them you’re asking for a friend )

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I'm quite sure that would be a waste of time. We live outside the city limits, in the county. A neighbor just up the street has sheep.

And it's not really relevant. The flag isn't the issue. It's the image. This guy is not presenting himself as a reasonable fellow with a point to make. He's presenting himself as a loud, paranoid hothead, and as dangerous. I have no reason to believe he's being ironic.

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Geez!

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Now, now, there are polite ways to show your feelings about MTG. My mother used to say “ Pretty is as pretty does.”

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She has a very Republican fashion sense. :-)

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Hurtful, not funny.

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How did she become so rabid?

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If you go read my post "The roots of Marjorie Taylor Greene" over at TAFM, I think you'll know how.

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OMG how often do I think that

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I had to scroll down quite a ways to see what is meant by a Louisville Slugger. But I cant listen to MTG for more than a few seconds, and I wish she wasn't white supremacists click bait.

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She's got a face like a foot. Only dumber.

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Not funny. 😢

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Clearly, you're above such comments. I'm not.

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In that case, we are in perfect agreement.

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Not so sure they're insane...they are puppets of their own egos and too stupid to see what damage they are causing...and also too stupid to care. They think this will bring them fame and glory. The States of Georgia, Florida, Colorado, and a few others need to bring these idiots back home and bar them from ever holding elected office again. As unhappy as I am with the governor my state (Virginia) chose in this past election, so far we don't have this brand of idiot in Congress...so far...

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Normal psychology traits that most people exhibit: Openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. However, a select minority of people exhibit traits of Narcissism (extreme-self-centeredness) Machiavellianism (ruthless self-interest), and psychopathy (emotional detachment). “These Dark Triad traits are maladaptive, meaning that those who exhibit them are generally more prone to antisocial behavior, including criminal acts.” (Form Christopher Wylie’s book “Mindf*ck”. I can now understand that trump, Putin, Tucker Carlson, MTG & co are persons formed by these dark triad traits. Therefore, no shaming, outrage, name-calling will affect their course of action. Only being held to account for the laws they break will curb them. But our justice “System” seems to be favoring them and they know this. Their outrageous behavior becomes a magnet for frustrated people afraid their way of life is under siege. And the Dark Triads stoke their supporters behavior like cult leaders. We have not figured out a way to puncture this balloon of lunacy. If laws don’t work, what is left? Name calling? So not effective.

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Michele, a great analytical post around traits (or perhaps illness) that leads to anti-social behavior.

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I live in Colorado. Boebart is an embarrassment and believe me when I say we are trying.

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Alexander, I find it impossible to understand how supposedly intelligent Americans voted these fools into office. Harder yet to understand…why they haven’t demanded their recall!

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They had an R after their name on the ballot. That is the primary reason these fools get elected.

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In Greene's case, she threatened and harassed the Dem candidate so much that his wife left him, and he moved out of state. So she ran unopposed in a district of which she is not a resident (bought a condo there so she could have an address.)

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I don't think there is a mechanism to recall a Congresscritter

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Morning, Alexander...holding my breath!

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The government had no problem expelling seditious congressmen who refused to recognize Lincoln's election. And now we have the 14th amendment that bans these creepy folks from holding elected office!!

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Of course, Section 3. I have been most familiar with the Equality part of this Amendment that allowed me to marry a black woman in a backward Southern State and later for same-gender couples to marry in any state.

"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress ... under the United States ... who ... shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. ..."

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There must be some law or bill that holds them accountable for their words.

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"Some law" is not likely, some torts possibly, yes. The simple breach of a duty. Common law has long recognized that words can cause damage or even are criminal in the context of unlawful incitement. Recall that 7 people died directly or inditectly from January 6th incitement. Or should I say ""proximately caused." One person was literally trampled to death by her Co-insurrectionists.

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They need to be exposed daily and voted out.

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HCR names the eight members of Congress whom I believe would eagerly serve as 'quislings' if democracy fails here. They made their position clear when they voted against suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. (Vidkun Quisling was the Nazi collaborator who became the puppet Prime Minister of Norway during the German occupation of that country during WW2, after which he was tried and executed.)

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I had not heard of Quisling so thanks for that but of info.

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I believe that the 3rd Section of the 14th Amendment covers it. Getting that august body to act on it is another matter all together.

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Yes, but only to a limited extent. Mere incompetence, corruption or adherence to a foreign power is not enough.

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I expect there is mor meat in the January 6th investigation…

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Yes. Like what was MTG doing on January 5th, with her Capitol "tour" group.

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Historically, I'm sure she is not alone in the gallery of mugs!

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Well, members of the House must run every other year. And while they can make a lot of noise, they can’t launch nuclear weapons.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Wasn't MTG appointed to fill an elected position and not elected? I found that she was elected. Also, by the way of money talks in an election! Also, an area of lessor educated voters and those not voting. She had a perfect set up! The person having her seat prior to her election did not run for re-election! Our loss!

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I believe she won her seat in an uncontested election. Death threats against the family of the guy running against her so unnerved him (rightly so) that he dropped out leaving her a clear path to her "victory".

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Mar 19, 2022·edited Mar 19, 2022

That victory must have been easy enough to get elected! Death threats to win and election doesn't seem to be very democratic!

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No. She may have been elected in a special election (I'm too lazy to look it up), but members of the House are not appointed to fill vacancies. Some states allow the governor to appoint senators if there's a vacant seat.

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Thank you, Jon. I need to check on that too! I guess I just can't imagine that anyone would vote for her....just like I could not imagine that any sane person would vote for Trump to be our President!

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She comes from northwest Georgia, one of the more rural parts of north Georgia. I lived there for 4 years when I first emigrated back from Europe. It is fiercely conservative, almost even more so than where I live now (about 2 hours due east) and I was gobsmacked at this, having just come from so many years living in one of the world's most liberal countries. I still find it both baffling and disturbing. And, NOBODY will run against her--Democrats are non-existent there and any moderate Republicans have been cowed into silence. I keep hoping for some kind of miracle that will unseat her, but for now she is shaming the state of Georgia--like we needed any MORE shaming!

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There are at least two people who say they are Democrats who are running aganst her. I get fundraising emails from one of them daily. Neither of them makes the district sound impossible, but then, they wouldn't.

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Thank you, Bruce!

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Sanity is not required for voting.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Read any of MTG's Tweets, and you can surmise that she isn't very educated. Misspellings, incorrect words, and incomplete sentences are numerous. Similar to her god, #45.

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Who is dumber? MTG or those who voted for her?

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Agreed. How did they ever get elected?

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I call it the 'legitimatization of ignorance' which guides all too many voters.

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Thank you to Lisa Winfield, one of our commentators on forum, who yesterday posted this very interesting message from former Gov Schwarzenegger but it got missed in the onslaught of Koch-ness comments. He has indeed sent it through various channels and it is reaching Russian citizens. I also give shout out here to groups such as Anonymous who are countering Putin and his ilk at beating them at their own game of indoctrinating people using social media. These groups are finding ways to keep channels open for truth. My guess is these are young rebels with a cause and have invented alternate counterattacks.

And Professor Richardson, another ballbuster of a final sentence in today’s letter.

When it’s just 8 legislators in the House of Reps showing their asses, it’s easier to counter. Get the can of whoop ass open.

United! Slavi Ukraini! 🇺🇦🇺🇸

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Eight legislators in the house of reps showing their asses - that’s eight too many traitors

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But down from over 200.

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Those 200 still land in the traitor category to me. Mornin' Christine

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Hi fabulous Pam. What wildlife have you seen lately outside your windows? I’m seeing lots of crows. The totem of “law”.

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Over run with gray squirrels. My neighbors feed the birds (squirrels) and these gray guys have taken over the neighborhood. Also, tons of Canada geese heading north. We live a mile from the Connecticut River which attracts migrating birds. And...an eagle or two.

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Heart, Christine! You've said it all today!

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I would like to see a % ranking of their motivations: the dark money, being a true believer in hierarchy/autocracy, the fame that attracting media with outrageous statements brings, the alignment with power/Trump, the sense of belonging provided by a passionate cult.

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I seriously agree with this, Becky. But the first thought I had was many would say their motivation was "anything to stick it to the libs."

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Me too. And not just of those eight. And what about fear they have messed up and doubling down to combat the fear?

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When he was talking about his father and how he is is pain it made me cry.

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Let's remember that Arnie is an immigrant -- one of those people who tend to be more faithful to the US, their chosen country, than some of its own thuggish citizens, namely, tfg, mtg, et al.

"Meanwhile, the support of certain U.S. lawmakers for Russia in this crisis has been a boon to the Russian president. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is openly pushing Russian talking points, claiming that NATO is supporting Nazis in Ukraine. Russian state TV is replaying Representative Madison Cawthorn’s (R-NC) remarks calling President Zelensky a 'thug.'" (HCR)

Any US congressman or woman who calls President Zelensky a "thug" has no soul, no moral compass -- and belongs in the gutters and swamps of Mar a Lago.

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May chump and his traitorous ilk be casualties of Putin’s folly. However, in Texas, the evil blathering idiots are spewing the lie that If chump were still potus, Putie would never have done it. How deluded can you get??? I remember Helsinki (not Rupert’s version). Cults, by definition, resist any logic.

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It is incredible what they have come to believe. And they're not just in Texas...

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Concerning another matter and this is an Opinion comment (most are). I think your response concerning negative comments about the country was perfect in its truth, clarity and thoughtfulness. The proof was in the pudding. Barbara understood what you were saying and thought about it. If diplomacy, in the best sense was possible with Putin, you would be an excellent candidate for the job. As that does not appear to be the route best taken I also think you are an excellent candidate in the field of battle. I picked Putin in order to illustrate the depth of my positive Opinion about you. Now that I've made myself clear, your contact with Putin for this exercise has been completely withdrawn.

Please let me know when it's tuba time. I'd like to hear a tune. Cheers.

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Exactly what a long-time friend told me yesterday. SMH

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Madison Cawthorn is well known among his former college classmates as having no moral compass. He is a spoiled little rich white guy. I still can’t believe people voted for the little twit.

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He is an absolute twit and more!

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We have to remember that Trump is a "Thug" and therefore those that are backing him show that they too are "Thugs"! It is sad that there are us people in our country and other countries. They are BULLYS and I never heard that word when I was a child. They were just deemed to be the "mean kids". We ignored them! Maybe that is the problem today!

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Yes. I have been sharing this with my friends. This is exactly what Anne Applebaum is talking about when she is saying that the democrats need to use the media to get the democratic message out. Good for Arnold! I love the way that he frames it with the heroes being the physically strong man, and then the strong activists. The clear counter to the kind of strong man that Putin is trying to romanticize.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/russia-ukraine-senate-testimony-autocracy-kleptocrats/627061/

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This is from her presentation to the Senate...

"Currently a Russian, Angolan, or Chinese oligarch can own a house in London, an estate on the Mediterranean, a company in Delaware, and a trust in South Dakota without ever having to reveal to his own tax authorities or ours that these properties are his. A whole host of American and European intermediaries make these kinds of transactions possible: lawyers, bankers, accountants, real-estate agents, PR companies. Their work is legal. We have made it so. We can just as easily make it illegal. All of it. We don’t need to tolerate a little bit of corruption; we can simply end the whole system, altogether."

thanks for this, Linda!

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"We need to provide real, long-lasting competition for the Russian state-run cable and satellite television that most of the people in these regions watch. Hundreds of talented Russian journalists and media professionals have just fled Moscow: Why not start a Russian television channel, perhaps jointly funded by Europe and America, to employ them and give them a way to work?"

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Excellent idea. Partial list of organizations below. For more go to Google for International Organizations of Journalists

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_of_Journalists

NUJ: National Union of Journalists

International Press Institute

World Press Institute, mission to promote and strengthen press freedom throughout the world.

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Here's a plug for TV Rain, the last and now-shuttered independent network in Russia. U.S. journalist Julia Ioffe, who was born in Russia and whose reporting on the war has been stellar, is raising money for the network's journalists. They've fled Russia for the time being. But as Ioffe writes, they are committed to return and "continue doing what they’ve done for the last 12 years: reporting fearlessly and honestly, and providing Russians an alternative to the lies on Kremlin TV."

Here's a link to contribute, as I've done: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tv-rain-survive-the-freeze

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Meduza, another Russian independent news website, has also fled Russia. I've donated. The need financial support to survive just as does RV Rain (which I will now donate to). https://meduza.io/en

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Michael, You're a champ. Thank you. I don't know if Jeff will see it. Just in case, I am going to post your reply to Jeff's 'reply' button. What a prospect, until it is not necessary!!

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Is Voice of America still functioning?

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MaryLee, The Voice of America is ALIVE. You can check for yourself by Googling it. Here is a story from today's website:

https://www.voanews.com/a/un-ukraine-s-humanitarian-situation-worsening-daily-/6490591.html

CONTACT US

Our goal is to assist you as quickly as possible. Here are some key phone numbers and email addresses.

Contact or Request Media Coverage by VOA Journalists

English language News Center: coverage-desk[at]voanews.com

Africa Division: Africainfo [at] voanews.com

East Asia & Pacific Division: EastAsiainfo [at] voanews.com

Eurasia Division: Eurasiainfo [at] voanews.com

Latin America Division: LatinAmericainfo [at] voanews.com

Persian Division: Persianinfo [at] voanews.com

South & Central Asia Division: SouthandCentralAsiainfo [at] voanews.com

Key VOA Contacts

To submit a request to use original VOA content produced after July 1, 2013, click here. NOTE: Please do NOT send an e-mail to VOA Public Relations as that office does NOT handle VOA content requests.

To contact a VOA staff member: 202-920-2000

To request a VOA calendar or information about VOA programming or frequencies: audiencemail [ at ] voanews.com

To request a QSL card or to submit a reception report: qsl [at] usagm.gov

The Archivist of the United States is the official custodian of permanent records of the Voice of America. Permanent records older than 2000 are currently available through the National Archives and Record Administration and may be requested from NARA.

Information about broadcast records that are not ‘permanent’, or that are in the process of being retired to the US National Archives may be found here.

To comment or submit a correction on VOA news coverage: https://buff.ly/361Exhf​

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MaryLee.

Not really. To my great sadness it has been dismantled and almost all of the transmitters de-commissioned. I remember listening to it in Greece in 1987. Awesome news and stories.

All gone.

However, good news, the Chinese have high power, short wave radio transmissions all over the world all day long in, yep, English.

So, not too worry.

:-)

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Hi Mike, I provided a correction to your reply with regard to VOA to MaryLee. I think that you automatically received it, but noted it here in case you didn't. Cheers!

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Jeff, Michael posted this to me. I thought to connect it to you in case you didn't automatically receive it .

Michael Bales16 min ago

Here's a plug for TV Rain, the last and now-shuttered independent network in Russia. U.S. journalist Julia Ioffe, who was born in Russia and whose reporting on the war has been stellar, is raising money for the network's journalists. They've fled Russia for the time being. But as Ioffe writes, they are committed to return and "continue doing what they’ve done for the last 12 years: reporting fearlessly and honestly, and providing Russians an alternative to the lies on Kremlin TV."

Here's a link to contribute, as I've done: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tv-rain-survive-the-freeze

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Thanks, Fern... and Michael.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Thank you, Jeff. Your mind is shining!

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Fabulous idea, Jeff! Please send it to some people who could make it happen. George Soros, maybe?

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George and I aren't pen pals, I'm afraid. But I'll bet Anne Applebaum has his attention already...!

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Maybe he could be a spokesmodel for the Dems, upside down world, indeed.

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And so happens the hero he chose was a Russian...so cool.

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Still the smartest guy I ever met in 40 years in Hollyweird.

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So why did he screw up as governor of CA. Never understood why he bought republican bull Schitt, even back then.

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Inexperience, and total opposition from the Dems. He did accomplish non-partisan redistricting, even knowing it would kill his party. He bought R because he was an entrepreneurial kid when he arrived and the R's were selling that then.

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There are those that can say it and those that can do it.....and he was GOP in a Dem State.

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The Kennedys thought that they were getting "beefcake" until they saw him operate in business

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'beefcake', funny! I think I might have heard that 50 years ago, maybe 40?

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Ah yes Fern...we are nolonger spring chickens.

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I'm no 'chicken' Stuart; speak for yourself!

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Each to their own, Fern. I must say that neither of us would pass muster in the chicken family. I hadn't thought much about what animal spirit i might associate with but the black panther, Bagheera, in Kipling's Jungle Book comes to mind. Or i'm flying with the eagles.

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Stuart, I read that Arnold was impressive in meetings with bankers. They said you would have thought he was a junior Vice President of the bank

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More than that, Sharon, he made more money than they did; the only thing that counted in their eyes.

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Yup! He did good in that department.

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I was disappointed when he was elected governor but was impressed when he pushed for redistricting to be non-partisan and that he continues to champion this idea. His appeal to the Russian people tugs at the heart. I hope it makes it to the intended audience.

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TC, from the snippets you post every now and then, you must have (are leading) a very interesting life. Ever consider writing a memoir?

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The title would be "A Fly On The Wall" :-)

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Like double entendre 'fly'!

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Miselle. I recommend you subscribe to TC’s Substack…That’s Another Fine Mess. A fascinating and informative point of view from a military historian.

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Thank you Arnold Schwarzenegger! Here’s the CBSN link.

https://youtu.be/3T5sh100mU0

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Yes, it was actually brilliant!

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Great message

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 20, 2022

Hugh, I received a newsletter from the Washington Post. When I read this about A. Schwarzenegger, it was clear to me that you were the one to share it with first.

'Why did Arnold Schwarzenegger fire the latest salvo in the information war over Ukraine Thursday? '

'It involves social media pleas, a Ukrainian strongman (of the weightlifting variety), a figure from Donald Trump’s first impeachment and a long-ago fatherly admonition that he must “be useful.”

“He wasn’t asked to do this by the government, or anyone in the government,” his chief of staff, Daniel Ketchell, told The Daily 202 in a telephone interview about the action star and former California governor’s nine-minute video message to Russia.'

'In it, the “Terminator” and “Kindergarten Cop” star pleads with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this war” and invokes his father’s wounds while serving in the Nazi army, telling troops following Moscow’s orders “I don’t want you to be broken like my father.”

'The video adds to international efforts to break through Putin’s severe restrictions inside Russia on news and facts about the war. That campaign aims to erode support for the military operation and his regime more broadly, although it’s too soon to quantify how much of an impact it's having.'

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We can only hope and pray it’s seen and has the intended impact. 🙏🏻

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I have only the highest praise for former Gov. Schwarzenegger for his message to the Russian people, the Russian soldiers, and the entire world. Well said Arnold! Share this with everyone you know, especially if you know people in Russia who truly need to hear the truth

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Some Russians will listen.

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The House Republican stooges have managed to wrap Ukraine right into their slapstick narrative with nary a hitch, so caught up in their own echo chamber that even the most blatant attack on a democratic regime by the worlds most (or second most, perhaps) autocrat doesn't give them pause. Good God, one can only hope that enough folks are embarrassed enough by them that the mid-terms will pleasantly surprise us all by replacing them with something more ideologically sound, if not someone from another party. There's a silver lining for us Americans in this massive tragedy that is war; Biden is given the opportunity to speak to the American people frequently about issues of substance, in a setting where his tenure and prior office are his strengths. Can you imagine how tfg would be managing the message were he still in office? Makes my Head hurt to think of it...Biden is using the power of his office and the crystal clear morality play to utilize our technological strength on the side of the oppressed and spend money where even the Repubs aren't complaining. He's displaying the presidential power of diplomacy in the world, taking full advantage of the incredible gift of opportunity handed to him by Putin himself. Finally, truth prevails over fiction for a blessed moment or two in the national news. I wonder how long we'll enjoy this clarity before descending back into the cesspool of national politics and forget that there are bigger threats in the world than one another?

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Every time I turn on the news, it is blathering republicans spewing about how trump was so tough on Putie. Damn, Rupert is still on the job. Moyers was right. The country will die of too many lies. .

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You talking about Murdogovich?

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Yeah - so what's all this doplomacy stuff - eh - if it don't have God and Jesus in it, I ain't votin. Them Ruskies is good Christans - and we kno that the Ukes are nazis. Our Marjory is on the right side. <grin>

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That’s the scoop, and MSM doesn’t have the balls to call them idiots. Wish I had the respect that Arnie has for the Russian people. Maybe he could speak the truth to our deluded masses.

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Hugh, yes, I fear that ignorance and indoctrination (religion) will Trump the next election too.

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Hugh - "doplomacy"! Marvelously precise term of mockery. Love it.

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Isn’t it great that while your brothers and sisters are dying by the thousands in a foreign land, never again reunited with their families, who will always wonder what happened, you can fiddle around Substack blogs, continuing your bullshit?

You’re not even trying anymore.

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Mar 19, 2022·edited Mar 19, 2022

Trump would be sending bombers and tanks to Russia with nude photos of his sweetheart. In the spirit of the moment I held back.

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Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs Task Force: Laughter is good medicine, and REPO did it for me!

And then there is Arnold the Terminator with his spot-on message to Russians:

https://twitter.com/NickKnudsenUS/status/1504484990150602753?s=20&t=E78Mt-gF4e3gk0hPXvrZLA

As described by Robert Hubbell, "The video is a masterpiece of communication that begins with Arnold discussing his great respect and admiration for the Russian people. He uses that affection as a launching pad for his earnest desire to inform Russians of the truth about Putin’s war."

https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/putins-unwinnable-war?s=r

DNC needs to hire Schwarzenegger's crew for effective messaging.

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He can't be President as he was born in Austria, but looks like he could help lift the Dem comm people out of kindergarden.

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Shouldn't that apply to Cancun Ted? It seems he had no issues running.

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Cancun Ted was born a US citizen, because his mother was a U S citizen. Arnie is a naturalized citizen, who is therefore ineligible to be President. The Framers might have written the Constitution a little differently had they been able to foretell some of the people who are eligible! Marjorie Three Names comes to mind, shudder!!!

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Swarzy never lacked courage as far as I am aware, whilst Cruz....

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Gave me the giggles early in the morning. One would think Mel Brooks wrote some of this stuff, (REPO).

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Wonderful article. If they can stop and postpone Ohio's primaries, I wish they could have done the same in Georgia. The Judge said that the gerrymandered maps were most likly illegal but he said the maps stand. And they could last until the next census.

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Good article by Hubbell. Thanks

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Lord, that is true.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

The Russian people are standing up. Looks like the destroyer despot's use of fear is losing it's grip:

*This is a message sent from a friends’ son in Sweden. When I researched this, I found other universities and scientists in Russia standing up in this same way. Information is leaking out to the world. The Russian people may prove to be as brave as our Ukrainian friends. May the tide turn quickly against Putin, and all the terrorists in our own country and government. And may all the similar tyrants around the world, shrivel in fear.

Message to Putin:

Almost 4,000 academics, students and graduates of the prestigious Moscow State University, Russia’s oldest university, have signed a letter saying they “categorically condemn the war that our country unleashed in Ukraine”.

The letter says:

We, students, graduate students, teachers, staff and graduates of the oldest university in Russia, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, we categorically condemn the war that our country unleashed in Ukraine.

Russia and our parents gave us a strong education, the true value of which lies in being able to critically evaluate what is happening around, weigh arguments, hear each other and be faithful to the truth - scientific and humanistic. We know how to call a spade a spade, and we cannot stand aside.

Acting on behalf of the Russian Federation, which its leadership calls a "special military operation" is war, and in this situation there is no room for euphemisms or excuses. War is violence, cruelty, death, loss of loved ones, powerlessness and fear that cannot be justified by any goal. War is the most cruel act of dehumanization, which, as we studied within the walls of schools and the University, should never be repeated. The values of the absolute human life, humanism, diplomacy and peaceful resolution of contradictions, which we absorbed at the University, were trampled upon and thrown away in an instant, when Russia treacherously invaded the territory of Ukraine. The lives of millions of Ukrainians have been threatened every hour since the invasion of the military forces of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.

We express our support to the people of Ukraine and categorically condemn the war that Russia unleashed against the Ukrainians.

As graduates of the oldest university in Russia, we know that the losses inflicted during the six days of a bloody war - first of all, human, but also social, economic, cultural - are irreparable. We also know that war is a humanitarian catastrophe, but we cannot imagine the depth of the wound that we, as the people of Russia, are inflicting on the people of Ukraine and ourselves right now.

We demand that the leadership of Russia immediately cease fire, leave the territory of the sovereign state of Ukraine and end this shameful war.

We ask all Russian citizens who care about its future to join the peace movement.

We are against war!

https://www.stopwar.org.uk/article/letter-moscow-state-university-condemns-the-war-in-ukraine/

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What courage, to write and sign the letter and to share it. ☮️🌻

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This line struck me in particular and explains exactly why so many Republicans are seeking to reduce education in the U.S. to their own talking points, banning books & curricula which

result in a strong education" which would enable Americans to be "able to critically evaluate what is happening round... "[Our country] and our parents gave us a strong education, the true value of which lies in being able to critically evaluate what is happening around, weigh arguments, hear each other and be faithful to the truth - scientific and humanistic. We know how to call a spade a spade, and we cannot stand aside."

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Precisely. As tfg said to his mind-controlled cult, "I love the uneducated." Then he tested how effective his brainwashing was by seeing if they would flinch when he said things like, I could shoot someone on 5th Ave. and you would still vote for me." Did they flinch? Ha! They frickin' cheered. That moment, he knew he had them under his power and control hook, line and sinker. He thinks they are just dumb suckers in his game of power. He and Fox are the seditious propaganda machines that are re-wiring vulnerable people.

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BRAVO for these young men and women!! They are our future. I sincerely pray that I am alive to see that change.

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Anyone wanting to know the specifics of the war crimes that Russian combatants appear to be committing:

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

Article 8-Definition

War Crimes

1. The Court shall have jurisdiction in respect of war crimes in particular when committed as part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of such crimes.

2. For the purpose of this Statute, ‘war crimes’ means:

* * *

b) . . . any of the following acts:

(i) Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities;

(ii) Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives;

* * *

(v) Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objective;

* * *

(ix) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives;

* * *

(xxv) Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions;

https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/war-crimes.shtml

https://www.icc-cpi.int/resource-library/documents/rs-eng.pdf

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Absolutely War Crimes. But what is next? Will there be a tribunal? https://www.icc-cpi.int/about

And have we, USA, been guilty of war crimes in the past? The way we live today, with media and reality from every direction, dissociation as a protective mechanism enables people, us, to go about our daily lives. Otherwise how could we live here in relative safety, while the Ukrainian people continue to live with such heartbreaking death and destruction ? And it’s on the airwaves. The Repub crazies and conspiracy theories still have an audience and the undeniable Truth all also on the airwaves, all are in competition. I think I’m being a little negative but reality is hard to keep at bay. Gratitude to Arnold for speaking the truth. Can we do anything to stop the lunatic wing of repubs from spreading lies and sabotaging our democracy? That’s it for now. It’s still dark on the west coast. I’m grateful for this platform, thank you HCR, and for each of you who care about Democracy, Truth and our future.

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I appreciate that some, including me, view certain actions of some combatants in the US armed services - and worse during Afghanistan and Iraq invasions, Blackwater contractors - in prior conflicts, as war crimes. However, it's a mistake to characterize them as crimes committed by a nation. The International Criminal Court at The Hague does not prosecute entire nations, it prosecutes individuals, which is why I carefully used the term "combatants." It's more helpful if you can point out the individuals who ordered the war crime to be committed than to blame the entire country - the latter approach, for example, is the approach we took at the end of WW I; but at the end of WW II, war crimes tribunals were careful to pin the blame on individuals. And in this case, it's a false equivalency. Rumsfeld is afraid to travel to Europe - that tells us that some individuals in the US have a guilty conscience and know where accountability lies.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

I understand that individuals, not entire countries are prosecuted for war crimes. Is that correct? Or are found guilty. But as the antiwar sign/slogan/movie: “Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?” asks, what is the answer? Is that an “alibi or defense” for all those who risk their own lives to say NO to war. At least NO to start the war. To defend and protect is critical. The world is so big, a planet of languages and history and ancestry that are connected in time but seem alienated now. To understand each other is not easy. To say NO could be as dangerous as fighting. What will happen to the Russians who are saying NO now? Even to live in a country like USA that is divided and has its own life and history of wars off shore and unpopular, what do war resisters do besides hold signs and go to jail or leave? Vietnam and later, my generation. Rhetorical question.

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Guilty

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Very detailed and informative post Steve.

I guess I hope the world continues to ignore all of these statutes, as it has since 2001, or all of us Americans will be locked up for war crimes that we ignored.

After that lengthy process, because the crimes list is long, then,

the Russians will come next.

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It's weird to me when people denigrate the US when talking about Russia. I just don't get it. What purpose does it serve? The most obvious outcome is to chip away at an already fragile Democracy. The word I am looking for today is a lack of respect running through these comments more and more. Last of respect for people we disagree with, the United States and fellow commenters.

More and more I just focus on Dr. Richardson's writing and skip these comments. There used to be some erudite, thoughtful discussions.

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I suspect there are several things at play here in your perceived "decline" in the nature and quality of the comments on the Professor's LFAA.

For me, I suspect that the perceived "lack of respect for the United States" stems from the belief that we certainly fall into the biblical admonition "let he who is without sin cast the first stone". For us to take Russia to task for their insistence that the Ukraine has chemical/biological weapons as a reason for their invasion has us forget the "weapons of mass destruction" that led us into Iraq in 2003. In addition to that event, we have elected members of congress who are actively engaged in opposing the lawfully elected President and giving aid and comfort to our enemies. This is coupled with the large number of states enacting restrictions in voting rights and women's rights. It is hard to believe in our "purity of thought and deed" when we are dealing with such a mess within our own government.

I have noticed more tolerance from the LFAA community for profanity (my second language which I try like the dickens to monitor here) and violence (at least in thought if not in deed). It is not universal. I still find most of the comments here come from thoughtful ruminations. I cannot claim that my limited background is in any way erudite, but I do try to be thoughtful and contribute what I can to the conversation.

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Good take, Ally. I don’t mind the profanity, although I think sometimes as a rhetorical tool it can diminish the force of an argument. The violence bothers me. I don’t want us to stoop to that Trumpian level.

I agree that we need to take a good hard look at our holier-than-thou whitewashing of our own past and present. But there’s a way to do that without implying that we can’t be trusted to do better now because we didn’t in the past. I want so badly to believe that now that we know better, we will do better, and that today’s turmoil is the birth pangs of a brave new world. Perhaps my desire for that new world clouds my judgement of our current situation.

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Know better, do better, and be better. Always a positive goal!

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I understand Ally. Ordinarily in another time I would agree with you and Mike on criticizing the USA on our violent history. I am in such a constant hyper alert of trying to preserve what we have left of Democracy in this Country that I may overact with protectionism.

And honestly I was still reeling from the earlier exchange of some commenters about MTG.

I appreciate that we can have this kind of back and forth. And I'll work on not being so protective of the Country and this forum.

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Be as protective as you need to be; this forum is our community, an island in the middle of a red sea for so many. You make a strong statement here (well, above) that has made me, and I hope others, think.

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I can’t like your comment, but I do, so here’s a ❤️

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Hey, Barbara. I recognize most everyone has moved on today, but your comment about MT Greene made me realize how little I know about her. So I googled her name, looking for some history about her. This article came to light. I cannot verify its accuracy, but wanted to share it here. I would venture to say, too, she could care less about any negative comments made about her, "sticks and stones..." as it were. Nothing in the article ties her to the events written about. But it shows the environment in which she was born and grew up.

https://news.yahoo.com/sickening-history-marjorie-taylor-greene-095713316.html

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Speechless. A horror story.

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You mean Marjorie Three Names, Lynell? Google lil’ Lauren Boebert while you’re at it too. She’s quite the little girl with a big mouth and a large set of guns. I’m not talking about her arms! She comes from a real “fine” family. 🙄

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At the moment, Ally, I cannot ❤️ this but I so agree with you! We simply cannot and should not erase our past or our present. I remind everyone that MEN start wars and I do not care what country you live in!

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deletedMar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022
Comment deleted
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❤️ I remember when you caught my carelessness in not adequately checking a 'fact'. With discomfort, I pursued the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. It was a good lesson.. Your precision, Steve, provides the high standard necessary when seeking the truth as best we can. Thank you.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Barbara.

Thank you for your good comment. I perceive my comment not as denigration at all. I am simply observing that the USA committed war crimes during the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and, if suddenly we start to enforce laws around war crimes, a LOT of Americans are going to prison.

The war crimes are well documented in various places but a good one is here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_war_crimes

In my case, I have just been paying careful attention since 2001 and, I have observed war crimes commited by America over and over.

So, it is really a good thing nobody is enforcing those laws (for us Americans who have been involved in so many war crimes).

Even as I write, our sanctions on the Taliban this winter are starving hundreds, perhaps thousands of Afghan citizens.

This is not denigration of the US. This is reflecting US reality back through the written word to this comment section.

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I don't deny that list; I've been following those for a long time myself.

But the discussion is a bit irrelevant here. I hope you aren't saying that becasue of the checkered past of some US battle leaders, some combatants, and some policy makers, we should be silent on the topic today, as if two wrongs make a right.

And even though the Wiki topic is "United States War Crimes," the Wikipedia article is mostly careful to document names of those who committed the crimes or ordered the military policy, as opposed using the blanket suggestion that the liability falls on an entire nation. ICC prosecutes individuals, not nations, regardless of whether the US submits to its jurisdiction.

I've heard that Cheney and Rumsfeld avoid travel to Europe for exactly that reason (I don't know if there's any way to check to see if that's true).

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The discussion is in the context of Putin being declared a war criminal and everyone's reaction to that news. As if George W Bush was not a war criminal.

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Well, if you knew you caused an escalation of a war, would you travel there? These two hid in a bunker in the WH!!

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And Mike, let’s not forget about Vietnam where we sprayed Agent Orange to defoliate the forests to find the Viet Cong. The result was our soldiers , drs. and nurses were also exposed causing lifetime problems with diabetes, kidney disease, and cancers. Innocent Vietnamese were killed with this spray made by Monsanto and Dow Chemical.

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Yes. 2,4,5 T is what they called it when you bought in a can at the farm store. While we were spraying Agent Orange on (everyone in Vietnam and Cambodia) farmers were spraying it on themselves and crops here.

I used to ride the tractor with the spray rig running wetting everything ..... without a shirt.

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Thank You Mike. You make some excellent (albeit painful) points.

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Barbara, I agree wholeheartedly. I skim the comments now, skip many, and comment infrequently, when in the past I participated in wonderful, interesting discussions. This group provided a much needed home, especially during the Trump years. Now, somehow, the tenor has changed. I don’t for a minute dispute the right of any commenter to post their thoughts, it’s just not the right place for me anymore as it used to be.

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Thank You for this.

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Thank YOU for your original post. You said what I think, exactly.

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Barbara, The options remain to provide insight, information... or as you have done -- drop by to generally review the quality of the comments on the forum from your point of view.

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Fern. My opinion. Respect for Dr. Richardson and other commenters is a wonderful thing. It's how it was when I first joined. You are a long timer. What happened?

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Barbara, I rarely commented for the first few months because the early morning forum seemed to resemble a coffee klatch, pleasant and very friendly but felt like a closed club. With a few exceptions, the comments did not seem substantial to me. Perhaps, some new subscribers appeared too judgmental to a few 'old timers'. Also, the length of Covid and the years of Trump did not improve our tempers. The use of language, in terms of swear words, took getting to used to, and that is a old story. I grew very fond and impressed with one of those culprits. There are a few 'critics' on the forum that trash it as well as indicating their superiority. Those 'critics' do not appeal to me when they're high their horse. There is a range of voices here and, generally, my opinion of the quality of discourse is just that -- variable. My interest and time here is variable, too.

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I could care less about the swearing. I think the close knit groups are sweet. It's the advocating violence and misogyny and cheering each other on that I will speak up about. I almost didn't say anything. I am glad I did because there has been good discussions on some related topics today.

And once again. If you are referring to me as one of those critics I already talked with Ally about that. I respectfully refer you to our discussion.

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Can’t ❤️ this, as usual, my wonderful friend!

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I remember and am ashamed of our war criminals.

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No, not "all of us Americans" would be locked up. the International Criminal Court does not assign blame that way - it assigns blame to individuals, not entire nations. It carefully distinguishes between those who ordered and implemented the criminal conduct and other individuals in the nation, so no, it especially does not generate accountability at that level. If you want to lay blame at the feet of the leaders who ordered the war crime - Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, a battalion commander - that's where the ICC attributes accountability.

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Steve, understood. I was just pointing out that we all SHOULD be locked up because, this is a Democracy and, ostensibly, we are supposed to be making the choices here.

So, the logical extension of "we the people" making the choices is: We are all going to prison for war crimes.

Now, if "we" are not runing the country and this is not a Democracy then, of course we all should not go to prison.

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Guilty, guilty, guilty. Did I mention, guilty?

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It sure looks that way, but assigning blame is an evidence gathering process with due process during trial. I'm not sure if anyone has brought a complaint to the International Criminal Court yet, nor am I sure that Russia is a signatory the Rome Statute. Mostly my post was to show what the exact nature of war crimes is and to point out a few examples that seem to fit the current war in Ukraine. I hope you click the links to learn more.

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Slovakia announced today they will give Ukraine all their S-300 SAMs as soon as they receive an assurance from the US that we will "backfill" with more modern SAMs. It would be nice if some way could be figured out to give Ukraine 100 of the artillery rocket launchers we have in Europe, that they could use for counter-battery fire against Russian arty. A smack in the bully's nose is a good defensive strategy.

The Chinese are very antsy about getting caught up in secondary sanctions from allying with Vladolf Putler.

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LKTIV appears to be reporting on some other war. The man is clueless. You know what you are talking about. The Ukrainian army is going on the offensive as the Russians collapse. Putin has people tasting his food.

UN figures on civilian casualties are as accurate as Russian figures on losses.

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Allen, This is from The Washington Post this morning. How does it compare to what you are learning?

'Ukrainian counterattacks are forcing Russia to divert “large numbers of troops” to guard supply lines, which is severely limiting Russia’s offensive potential, the British Defense Ministry said early Friday. A senior U.S. defense official separately told reporters that Russia is also struggling to send arms and ammunition to its forces.'

“But really — there’s been no progress in the last 24 hours,” the U.S. official said, speaking anonymously under ground rules set by the Pentagon. The official said, however, that the lack of Russian movement didn’t mean the front lines were static. “There’s a lot of fighting going on. [The Ukrainians] are the reason why [the Russians] haven’t been able to move forward.”

'The United States also said it has anecdotal evidence that morale is flagging in some Russian units. Poor leadership and disillusionment with the mission are contributing factors, the official said, adding: “I want to stress these are anecdotal accounts.”

'Odessa, the strategic Ukrainian port city that has so far largely escaped the wrath of war, was free from any major shelling over the past 24 hours, the American official said. And although there are “about half a dozen or so surface ships” from Russia close to Odessa, there have been no signs that the Kremlin will soon try to land forces on the city’s shores.' (WAPO)

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Saw that. About right. As Russian forces weaken Ukraine steps up the pressure

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Glad to see you here, Allen. Slava Ukraini! 💛💙

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🟦🟨 ✊🏼 ❤️📯🌿

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Allen… did you figure out yet how we get donations to Tanya’s cause?

So good to hear from you every day now. Any word on Lucky and the cats?

Slavi Ukraini! 🇺🇦🇺🇸

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Critters are good as of this mornings report. I am not doing anything until we get to Canada. Phone too small and head too thick.

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That saying “in a nutshell”. Ha! Safe passage to you and all Ukrainians. Let us know when your phone is bigger, your head has cleared, and your heart remains courageous.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Venmo.com is a source I got to work with a friend in Tbsili who pooled donations and transfered to a family in Kyviv who were on the move. Easy to set up accounts with Venmo. Don't require a physical address. To do it directly, you and Allen would have to have/create your own accounts. I linked to my Amex transfer account for added protection, rather than my personal bank account.

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Morning, Allen. 5:00 AM here in NYC. We do know about the Ukraine's military offensive and eager to know more. So good that you are here. Please keep us apprised. 🟥🍁🟥

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Good to hear from you, Allen. Any word on when you might be able to leave Warsaw and head to Canada?

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Maybe 23rd if we test negative

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Allen, thankyou for being here. Thinking of you all and praying for safe journey.

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Fingers crossed 🤞

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Posted this at Christine(Florida) on hitting money to you.

Venmo.com is a source I got to work with a friend in Tbsili who pooled donations and transfered to a family in Kyviv who were on the move. Easy to set up accounts with Venmo. Don't require a physical address. To do it directly, you and Allen would have to have/create your own accounts. I linked to my Amex transfer account for added protection, rather than my personal bank account

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OK, I'll bite. What or who is LKTIV?

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Putin’s pet network. He’s the Tuckems, Hannity, Ingraham, Pierro all wrapped into one short man.

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God bless them all...not!

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Lynell, I believe it's a TV station in Russia

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Lucien K Truscott IV

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LOL, straight from the "horse's" mouth! Thanks for taking the time, Allen. Am in your corner as you embark on your journey; let it be a safe one.

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He’s wonderful!! Great to hear from you, Allen. Peace be with you and Tanya. ☮️

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The $800 million military assistance package

800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems - a lightweight, reusable launch system used to destroy helicopters or low-flying planes.

2,000 Javelin anti-armor systems - a shoulder-mounted, anti-tank weapon system that can target any vehicle that emits heat and can be operated by one person. Like the Stinger, its launcher is reusable.

1,000 light anti-armor weapons - man-held, vehicle armor-penetrating guns

6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems - a Swedish-made, man-held, single-shot anti-armor weapon used by American special operations forces.

100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems - Drones known as the Switchblade 300, a system equipped with cameras, guidance systems, and explosives

7,000 small arms including grenade launchers, rifles, pistols, machine guns, and shotguns

Over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition, artillery and mortar

25,000 sets of body armor and 25,000 helmets

The previous $1.2 billion

More than 600 Stingers

About 2,600 Javelins

Five Mi-17 helicopters - Soviet-designed Russian military helicopters that Ukrainian pilots are trained on

Three patrol boats

Four counter-artillery and counter-unmanned aerial system tracking radars

Four counter-mortar radar systems

600 small arms including grenade launchers, machine guns and shotguns

Nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition and more than 1 million grenade, mortar, and artillery rounds

70 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles and other vehicles

Secure communications, electronic warfare detection systems, body armor, helmets, and other tactical gear

Military medical equipment for treatment and combat evacuation

Explosive ordnance disposal and demining equipment

Satellite imagery and analysis equipment

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I like the moniker for Pootie.

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Upon reading HCR’s parting statement portraying Ukraine’s people as “trying to save their democracy from a criminal assault by an autocrat who has perverted his own country’s government…,” I dared to imagine, partisan disputes notwithstanding, that perhaps more and more of us are viewing Ukraine as the front line of freedom right now, engaged in a struggle between freedom and tyranny that, dare I say, is awakening in us the desire to protect our own aspirational American experiment from its potential undoing.

I will know we have undergone a paradigm shift when opposing parties start viewing one another, once again, as opponents and not as enemies.

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Agree 1000% Barbara. I think we will see more votes in the House as what was outlined in today’s letter. Personally, on one of my tangents, I hope they blast the “Sunshine Law”, Sen Rubio’s baby regarding fake Daylight Savings Time, right into a solar storm.

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Crap on Rubio, and anything he espouses

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Christine, I particularly appreciated your “Agree 1000%.” remark. Thank you for that.

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Wait ? The Sunshine Law has to do with providing Public Information ? Why would DLST come under that ?

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I’m talking about Rubio’s long time quest to eliminate changing clocks twice a year by establishing Daylight Savings time as standard. Finally got a partisan vote (under Sinema’s watch) and it’s moving to House. I find it disgusting that government regulation of time gets a pass but not voting rights. Sen Rubio…..yikes.

Support Val Demings to take his seat in November ‘22.

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It’s appalling that the DST (Daylight Savings Time) bill went through the Senate lickety-split but the Repubs refuse to advance Voting Rights!!

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Manchin's Coal Corruption Is So Much Worse Than You Knew

The senator from West Virginia is bought and paid for by Big Coal. With his help the dying industry is pulling one final heist — and the entire planet may pay the price

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/joe-manchin-big-coal-west-virginia-1280922/

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He is a stain on the Democratic Party, and the world

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Thank you for the link. As one of his constituents, I could not be more ashamed. Good to have the details.

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You're welcome. I'm a former resident of the Mountain State. It was a blue state when I lived there. It could be again if more journalism like this was published widely and often. As a small state people tend to know about the dirt of their politicians, but the hate that has infected a majority of the voters prevents progress. Hope is not lost, West Virginians have a proud populist past and it can return. When it does it will be as rapid as the shift in the 80's when it started sliding red.

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Reagan was no friend to us when we lived in West Virginia.

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Hang in there, for all our sakes!

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I wish that more people in West Virginia held your view, and were actively working to find a candidate who is more in step with governing based on current issues, rather than holding hard onto the past. West Virginia wants "centrism," which is fine. Being in the pocket of the coal industry while the planet is being destroyed, is not. Surely there are other people who can do a better job than Manchin in W.Va.

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Janet, as a Wisconsin constituent of Ron Johnson and Glenn Grothman, I share your pain.

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Thank you for posting this article. Much more insight about who/what he does, especially about his BBB bill stance. I've shared it to 5 of my FB groups. It helps dispel the arguments about how he has voted w/Biden a lot. (a member of one of them brings up that argument when another person brings up issues/concerns about him.)

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This article goes right to the heart of West Virginia. Thank you for posting a story that reveals Sen. Maserati’s selfish and cynical meanness.

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I knew that when I lived there from 70-74, he was really dirty in those days. Everyone said he had ties to the local mafia which is very active in north-central WV.

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Thank you sister Heather.

With Putin turning on his own, much like tfg, could it be that his rule is drawing to an end? If so, may the same be true for tfg and his sycophantic echocrats.

And did you catch Arnold’s video address to Russians? May it reach and influence his intended audience. 🙏🏻

https://youtu.be/3T5sh100mU0

I heard earlier this evening that the Pope has something planned as well.

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Do give us the link when he does.

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This is really a rogues gallery of low lifes not worthy of representing their states in Congress. I hope their home state newspapers shellac them: The eight votes against the measure came from Republican members Andy Biggs (AZ), Dan Bishop (NC), Lauren Boebert (CO), Matt Gaetz (FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Glenn Grothman (WI), Thomas Massie (KY), and Chip Roy (TX), all staunch Trump supporters. Not sure how Cawthorn missed this opportunity to join his fellow wing nuts.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

The infamous eight! How can they be allowed to remain in office. What happened to Truth? Oh, wait! There was once an even higher-up who wasn’t held accountable either. Gratitude for elections and Democracy.

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Wou;d be nice to see Merrick Garland do something

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Yes, hoping we’re not running out of time.

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DeSantis needs added to the list.

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Governors don't get to vote on national legislation. DeSantis is on the governors to defeat and then delete list.

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👍 Works for me !

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We might better get used to it because, at this point, there's a good likelihood he could be the Republican presidential candidate in '24. He's polled really well amongst Republicans in their recent national pow-wows--outside of TFG, or course. He frankly scares me more than T***p as he's off the deep end extreme, and a total dictator. Hell, basically ALL the names touted by Republicans as presidential candidates are deeply worrying.

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

We are of one mind on this, Bruce. My only hesitation about your reply is that DeSantis comes in second by a longshot when it is a group poll, but without Trump, while he's the winner his number is not sky high. I don't think Hogan, the governor of MD. has been one of the names in the polls -- am I wrong about that? It's very early, and given Putin's war, I think Trump will continue to drop.

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I was thinking it was a recent CPAC gathering where De Santis garnered like 60-something percent of support and the rest were pretty far down...Pence at like 10% or less. Of course, it's still light years from then, but I do think T***p is fading somewhat and will continue to as he digs his own grave and his troubles mount.

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Perhaps Cawthorne wasn't present?

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Wish that were a permanent problem for him. He needs to leave office and grow up

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Mar 18, 2022·edited Mar 18, 2022

Through the 'blistering horror' of Ukraine, aptly noted in today's Letter, the story of an American looking for food in Chernihiv has emerged.

'A 68-year-old American man was killed in a Russian attack on Chernihiv, a Ukrainian city northwest of Kyiv, local authorities said Thursday.'

'James Whitney Hill, known to friends as Jimmy, was killed by heavy artillery attacks on unarmed civilians in the city, The New York Times reported. His identity was reportedly confirmed by an aide to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.'

“My brother Jimmy Hill was killed yesterday in Chernihiv, Ukraine,” Cheryl Hill Gordon wrote on Facebook on Thursday afternoon. “He was waiting in a bread line with several other people when they were gunned down by Russian military [snipers]. His body was found in the street by the local police.”

'The U.S. embassy in Kyiv said Wednesday that Russian forces had shot and killed 10 people standing in line for bread in Chernihiv.'

'Another sister, Katya Hill, told MPR News her brother was out looking for food when he was killed, but said the State Department could not tell her if he was among the victims in the bread line or if he was killed in another attack.'

'According to Hill’s Facebook page, he was a freelance lecturer and had worked at the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Katya Hill said he was a social worker and forensic psychologist and had worked on and off in Ukraine for about 20 years.'

'He traveled to Chernihiv in December to seek treatment for his partner Irina, a Ukrainian citizen who has multiple sclerosis, his friend told an Idaho news station earlier this month.'

'After Russia invaded Ukraine, Hill and his companions were trapped inside a hospital with limited food, water and electricity.'

'In a series of updates on Facebook in his final days, Hill said his partner, whom he called Ira, was in intensive care. He said they wanted to flee the city, but couldn’t determine how to do so safely.

“Its a living nightmare but we are alive,” he wrote in one post last week. “Bombing throughout the day. Helpless feeling.”

'He said he and his companions only had enough food for a few more days and that it was very cold in the hospital.'

'Chernihiv, a city close to the Russian border, has been surrounded by Russian military. Civilians are increasingly dying under sustained attack from enemy forces in residential areas. The city’s mayor said last week that Chernihiv had run out of room to bury its dead.'

'In his final post, on Tuesday, Hill said that the bombing had intensified and there was no way out.' (Yahoonews)

There is 'no way out' for many millions of Ukrainians.

https://news.yahoo.com/american-lecturer-killed-ukraine-while-005430876.html

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Blistering horror, and for what? An ego trip for a maniac. Now who does that remind me of…

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They all seem the same to us: Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Rafael Trujillo, Idi Amin, Hissene Habre, Nguyen Cao Ky, Omar Al-bashi, Samuel Doe, Sheikh Hasina, Putin...to name a few. Perhaps, we are stereotyping?

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Psychos . It is not uncommon for them to have high IQ’s . Which you add the Charm. Who they really are is glossed over. As for TFG I think of my all time Fav. “ If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, Baffle them with B.S. “ I see him more as the Sociopath.

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Such an important and heartbreaking story. And repeated over and over. Every single Ukrainian, every one, is a victim, all are in harms way. And we are all part of the same Humanity. This unprovoked war is beyond belief. And televised.

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Irenie, You have summed up Putin's war...moral depravity...a sin against humanity.

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😢💔🦋

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Sweet butterfly, we're all trying to bare up through our tears.

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Please indulge me sharing an essay I wrote yesterday, a reflection on life’s problems:

AN INCONVENIENCE - NO HOT WATER

I have been without hot water for 11 days since March 5th. They are replacing the building’s old hot water heater with a new one and was supposed to be for 3 days, but of course there were problems.

It was an inconvenience, but nothing new to me – I’ve been here before. In 1970, living in my tar-paper shack in the woods, I carried all my water for cooking, cleaning and bathing from a drop-bucket well and heated it on a wood burning stove. In my travels in the mid-70s the cheap hotels in Central America did not have hot water. Not so bad in the tropics but in the cool mountains, quite uncomfortable for bathing.

In India I got used to bathing for a couple of months in a concrete area with drain, dipping from a 2-gallon galvanized bucket of hot water. That is what I have been doing this time, using a 2-gallon plastic bucket and heating water on the stove. At least with electricity, my microwave got me enuf quick hot water to wash dishes.

Finally, today the hot water is back on and quite convenient. I even had the luxury of a hot soaking bath, which was very relaxing despite the anguish that haunts me from the reality of world events.

While I have been without convenient hot water, many Ukrainians are desperate for any water at all. I had drinking water in my refrigerator. I had a gas stove for heating water & for cooking food. I had food. I had electricity and electronics. I HAD AN APARTMENT.

All these things that I have, most Ukrainians also had less than a month ago. In a modern nation they would likely have been inconvenienced by the loss of hot water for 11 days. At that time it seemed unlikely that their normal lives would have been so destroyed by one insane, unconscionable, murderous Russian dictator.

Somehow, my consciousness this past 3 weeks has been dominated by the suffering in Ukraine. The cost of being empathetic. Unlike sociopaths like Donald Trump & Vladimir Putin, the suffering of others does impact on me. Especially, when War Criminals like Putin target civilians and children.

Other than that continuous niggling reality in the back of my mind, I enjoyed the hot bath and my still intact little living space where I will soon watch another Jason Bourne movie in the trilogy, and will waste some time on twitter later.

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Adam Tooze reported today that the bond holders of Russian debt - the investors in supporting Putin's crimes over the past 20 years - end up in Western courts having primacy over victims of Putin or Ukraine in getting access to the Russian reserves because our "rule of law" priotizes property ownership over criminal accountability.

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Yes. Always follow the money.

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Going price on Russian bonds rose from 20 cents on the dollar to 47 cents on the news that Putin had paid $117M on recent coupons through JP Morgan with his dwindling supply of dollars

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Stuart I believe that Russia instructed Citibank to release $117 million in its account to pay this interest. However, if sanctions prevent such a release, Russia has indicated that the payment would be in rubles. As the former EVP of Moody’s Investor Service, which rated the credit of sovereign bonds, payment in rubles rather than dollars would be a default. Russia has a 30 day grace period to resolve this matter.

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Thanks for education.

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Thanks, Keith! Always great to hear both sides of a story.

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There is no doubt but that Russia's and Putin's language, methods, activities and governance is the model and foreshadows our Republican Party. Looking at history, authoritarian people, parties and national behavior are all identical. Labeling them "Nazi", fascist, communist, etc doesn't differentiate their practices and results. Stalin used the same political methods that Hitler did to subvert Russia into a repressive nationalistic nation under Stalin's rule. Trump and all Republicans today have bought into these methods for the same reasons. One party power that considers all non party citizens and residents to be enemies.

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Exactly, the playbook is well worn

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Brilliant as usual HCR. I’m surprised that no one has mentioned your last concluding paragraphs that left me thunderstruck, angry, and lastly, hopeful and energized. Please, leaders Pelosi and Schumer, lead the charge today with all the indignation you can muster!

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I did. Her last sentence sums up intent of entire Letter. Ukraine’s fight is our fight. Gloves off as far as I’m concerned.

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I will be mentioning that when I get around to writing my own primary comment. I try and read others' comments first, before wading off into my own.

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