I think this was the best speech given by our president. I wish the MSM would stop second guessing & explaining him. It's offensive & unnecessary. He knew what he said & he meant it.
I have never seen President Biden so clear, purposeful and oratorical as in these past few months. He has given some excellent speeches with the one yesterday being so powerful. He really shines away from the pettiness, sabotage and disinformation that exists in America today. He is eating the Republican's lunch on this. Their pro-Russian faction is making the whole party look bad.
And I don't believe what he said about removing Putin was a gaffe or careless. He said what everyone has been hinting at for weeks.
The pro-Russian faction is making the whole party look bad. Really. The whole party has been engaged in treasonous rhetoric and treasonous action for years. They no longer attempt to govern anything, or even participate on any level. We have enemies within that are as dangerous as Putin, most carrying the cross. Sorry that statement triggered my memory of Putin leading Chump around by the nose in Helsinki, and decades of republican evil deeds.
My point. Anti-Russian sentiments run long and strong in this Country. The Republicans misjudged that and now they are on video supporting Putin; wonderful campaign fodder for the Democrats. The pro-Putin, pro-Russian rhetoric backfired which is why the Republicans changed their tune.
In addition I am fully, painfully and fearfully aware of the damage the Republicans have done and continue to wrought against Democracy in the United States. Only someone in a coma or a cult or could miss that fact.
Barbara I would like to parse the phrase ‘anti-Russian sentiments.’ Recent polls reflect such ‘sentiments.’ However, this is a response to Putin and what he has done and is doing with his ‘silovikis.’
President Biden made clear that he was attacking Putin, not the Russian people. (His ab lib about Putin having to go could be interpreted as a sentiment for a better way of life for the Russian people.)
Perhaps the most dramatic example of how the U. S. Government could distinguish between a brutal regime and its population was 1919-1923 in Russia. We had troops fighting the Russian Reds in northern Russia and eastern Russia.
Several years later, in response to a massive Russian famine, Herbert Hoover (prior to his entry into government) organized and implemented an extraordinary food relief program that was gratefully honored by the Leninist/Stalinist government and the Russian people for years.
The American government did not recognize the Russian/Soviet government until 1933.
I am speaking of the Red Scare, Cold War, Cuban Crisis and Communists scare when saying anti-Russia sentiment. These are the things that are in the DNA of an awful lot of Americans. And yes. President Biden exhibited masterful skill in attacking Putin and not the Russians.
leaders turn populations against each other, and once the shooting starts it is usually too late. the cuban missile crisis was all about optics. the missiles in cuba would have been on above ground platforms and would have taken hours to deploy. meanwhile, there were missiles on russian nuclear subs off of both us coasts, not to mention missiles in underground silos in siberia. these were the real threat, but they were out of sight and out of mind for most americans. russia, meanwhile, was in paranoia mode. at a time when russia controlled the iron curtain countries from poland to bulgaria, she still thought of herself as 'surrounded' by enemy missiles, a laughable notion. kruschchev agreed to 'turn his ships around' when kennedy agreed to remove us missiles from turkey. kennedy hadn't even known they were there. in her second paragraph, HCR mentions the failed polish uprising in warsaw. it failed because of a cold-blooded decision on russia's part. the russian army was at the gates and the days of the germans were numbered. the polish underground asked that, as a matter of polish pride, they be allowed to signal the final offensive against the germans by coming out into the open to begin the battle, after which the russians would move in to assure victory. the russians agreed. but when the fighting started, the russians did nothing. the resistance leaders were all captured or killed in the german counteroffensive. then the russians moved in. without firing a shot the russians had killed off the future leaders of poland, the best, the bravest. this made it much easier for russia to control poland after the war. it took poland two generations to find new leaders, a pope and a shipyard electrician, who led a revolution in which less than ten people died. this has to be one of the great achievements of human history.
"These are the things that are in the DNA of an awful lot of Americans."
Absolutely. We have been drowned in anti-communist propaganda for a long time. Consider the many Hollywood dramatic and documentary films of the late 1940s and '50s which brought a rabid anti-communist message to Americans. (Sen. Joe McCarthy really capitalized on this.) We were bathed and fed with endless propaganda, and that message has further been instilled in subsequent generations. Even the word "socialism" can trigger fear and anger in so many millions of Americans today.
Interesting information. What present Russia forgets is the massive support from the west that enabled Russian victory in WWII. It is propagated that they did it all by themselves, and they are boasting about loosing more lives than all others, 20 millions, which was largely due to Stalin's recklessness.
Olof History depends upon one’s personal perspective. Through Lend Lease and later, after Pearl Harbor, America provided massive supplies to Russia through Murmansk and the Persian Gulf. One might say that this was in our self interest. From memory I recall that the Russians lost about 20 million (mostly military) persons. By contrast,, I believe that America lost about 320,000 soldiers during the entire war in Europe and the Pacific.
I recall at Teheran that Stalin was pushing FDR/Churchill for a major invasion of Europe. (Normandy occurred on June 6, 1944). We delayed while Russian troops were bearing catastrophic losses. Our military assistance for their massive loss of life.
As for Stalin’s ‘recklessness.’ Stalingrad was the turning point of the war. It was fought building by building. Stalin ordered that any Russian soldier caught leaving the frontlines would be shot. Also, in the race to Berlin, he encouraged two field marshals (Zhukov was one) to move forward with no concern about loss of life. I think the Russians lost about 100,000 soldiers, while Ike kept American troops at a safe distance away from Berlin.
Yes on the need for Americans to focus solely on anti-Putin sentiments instead of people quickly jumping to an anti-Russian bandwagon. Further, Americans should consider our part in getting Putin into power through a series of changes--i.e., Reagan's drive to "end the evil empire"; then the installation of Yeltsin and our role in that election; and subsequently Putin coming into power and his being amenable to the seedier side of capitalism which quickly led to establishing the Russian oligarchs. trump is just another oligarch; and that's why he bonds so well with Putin, some business quid-pro-quo between them. In the end, the common Russian people suffer as they have for so much of history.
Yes, I've read that Herbert Hoover demonstrated great organizational skills. (Must have been enabled by his engineering background.) Unfortunately, when the Great Depression occurred during his presidency, he didn't bother organizing anything to help the American people endure it. He took the laissez faire approach, and things just got worse until Pres. Roosevelt was elected and able to put his relief plan into effect. (I know this info is not new to you.)
Heydon You would be surprised at what dour-faced Herbert Hoover actually did to address the Depression. While he was against massive public employment programs, he initiated some structural programs that FDR, after his 100-day blitz, greatly expanded. The RFC, I recall, provided, for then, a massive amount (without checking my notes—$500 million when the entire federal budget was minimal) for the RFC. Indeed, some economists credit Hoover. With employing more sound economics than FDR is addressing the Depression.
Of course Hoover was zero in charisma and FDR was 100. After the Roosevelt recession in 1937, it took WW II to get us out of massive unemployment.
Keith, with your knowledge of Russian history, I’m wondering if you might have heard about something I recently read about on a Twitter feed: “dedovshchina, which is an extreme form of hazing that new conscripts in the Russian forces are subjected to.” ?
Christy I haven’t heard of ‘devovshchina’ related to hazing of Russian conscripts. It sounds similar to what occurred at Marine training at Quantico, where some of the new recruits died. I read that, at some American fraternities, hazing has led to deaths.
I much preferred the Foreign Service process: extreme written exam after which the survivors (about 10%) faced an oral exam (33% passed). That enabled me to operate alone in rebel-infested Congolese provinces with a M-16 and .45. At times I sort off wished that I had flunked the entrance exam.
Lisa. No offense intended at all, but, I am sure hoping you are wrong. My son is 22. Plus, depending on what other countries get involved, we might all be getting a little action.
None of it will be romantic, fun, or rewarding like a WWII propaganda movie.
Rather: It will all be a slog of heartbreak, loss and waste.
I have a 22 year old son too - and a 28 year old son and a 26 year old daughter. Thoughts of what this all might mean for them consumes and terrifies me. I’m with you, Mike.
Lest you forget, there are people on the left, on this very page who have threatened to do harm or wished bodily harm to another because of the difference of beliefs, they've called them ugly names, questioned another's right to make dissenting comments, even questioned their patriotism, declared them un-American. That behavior, too, begets violence and hatred. It ratchets up the temperature. The door swings both ways. Never forget that.
There are many things that generate fear in the world. Hearing lies and misinformation shouted from televisions, tablets, radios, pulpits adds more fuel to the fire of hatred. Simple solutions, like stripping so called churches of their tax exempt status so they have to function like a normal business would go a long way to help. Clamping down on the outright lies broadcast over our airwaves, would go a long way towards changing the course we're on.
The number of whites in the US is decreasing, that is a fact. And you are right, some white people are very afraid. Perhaps it's because they have historically failed to do the following:
Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
I do not think any of us who have not served in a war/conflict zone have any idea what a war of invasion on US soil will mean for us. We look at photos and videos and feel horror at what what were seeing but we are not, ourselves, sitting on a curb holding the bullet riddled dead body of a loved one in our arms. Our children have not been bombed to death while attending school.
We should hope only for peace. Anything else will be devastating for generations to come.
Biden does this a lot I think. Thanks for pointing it out. Biden is all over the media; drowning out Republicans horrific SCOTUS nominee debacle and depriving them of more air time. And honestly at this point trump mews and complains in the far distance.
Indeed -“Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out,” tweeted Graham (R-SC).
I want to know why Putin thinks that murdering innocent women and children will restore greatness and glory to Russia. I want to know why Trumpist Putin-loving Republicans think that white nationalist racism will make America great again. I want to see Xi Jinping step up and prove China's greatness by brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
If I were Putin, I'd laugh at that controversial comment of Biden's. It demonstrates our exasperation with how imprecise and slow are all the non-military options in opposing Russian hegemony. If it weren't for the nukes and other WMDs, we'd have taken a far more aggressive posture as the troops gathered on the Russian-Ukrainian border. In spite of the poor performance of his military and the improbable degree of coordination and vigor in the European and American responses, he has called our bluff again and has exposed the limits of our willingness and ability to act in coordination against Russia from a military standpoint. I think he cares far less about western rhetoric than he does about what information reaches the Russian public and how effective the propaganda machine is in deflecting what news from outside does leak through the firewall.
Do you think OUR fake news is any better than THEIR fake news?
My assessment of the habitual mendacity of the mainstream news media, including its deplorable coverage of the situation in Ukraine, together with my inclinication to condemn the genocidal imperialism emanating from Washington, D.C., has been strongly influenced over the past three decades by my reading of Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, which I view as essentially honest, and which is a taboo subject, blacked out of the mainstream news media.
(Ahem, that's my run-on sentence for the day.)
And now, for the first time, the first 29 pages of Budhoo's letter are readily available online. I'll share a few quotes:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
"The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same -- his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." ~John Swinton (1829–1901)
As previously asked; whom do you distrust the least? So far, we've apparently only identified two parties; the corrupt powerful and the duped masses, except for a few brave dissidents who can see the truth without the benefit of reliable sources of information (and yourself, of course).
"“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
If you or I say those words, no matter how emphatically, they do not carry any undue weight because we are not in a position of great influence and power; we are not the President of the United States. Every syllable Joe Biden utters regarding Ukraine carries the utmost significance and consequence. In this time of war, for Joe Biden and other world leaders, there can be no verbal gaffes or idle words. None.
Not idle words. A result of witnessing the pain and suffering of those he met with. Joe's heart got in the way, and he spoke those words from his heart.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
"... A White House official clarified that “[t]he president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region…. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”
I marvel at the rush of the handlers to walk that back. Putin is a person threatening to use a nation's nuclear arsenal against ANY nation that opposes his invasion of a sovereign nation, who interferes in elections in a number of democracies, who imprisons legitimate opposition and who sends assassins into other sovereign nations to poison those who have opposed or offended him in his quest for absolute power.
Biden's statement is literally correct, and it is spot on.
However, it ultimately begs the world to restore international law so that those who do these things and commit war crimes are removed from power, hauled in front of an international criminal court and their reigns of terror against people and planet brought to an end.
The problem I see is that those handlers are trying to placate the oligarch and party operatives of their own nation and its particularly bad-acting allies who have been behind such actions themselves and made regime change into an art form. They would find themselves facing that court.
Illegal wars and Putin are symptoms of the breakdown of international law at a time when globalization made that more necessary than ever. The United Nations is now proven ineffective in preventing wholesale destruction, and it is headed down the extinction path of the League of Nations. What followed that extinction is something we do not want to repeat.
I read the article you reference and several others yesterday evening. I understand what you're saying and I agree that he was begging for a restoration of international law. IMHO, though, the line was delivered in a place and time where it could be radically interpreted by those aligned with Putin and acted upon in a most gruesome and violent manner. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of retaliation against the US. It frightens the hell out of me.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. We are in a very precarious place.
I am inclined to go with the structured application of the truth, softened by the public softening after-statement. What a person hears first sticks. Qualifications of that statement take more repetitions to modify what was heard first.
“Be careful of the words you speak. You never know which ones you’ll eat.”
Look at the elephant in the room. Would we risk large scale nuclear war to save the rape of a country with 44 million people? That's the question we are all dancing around. It's time to look deep inside ourselves and make peace with what we truly believe. Would you give your life for a Ukrainian you don't even know, by supporting a no fly zone, or sending well equipped NATO youth (yeah, most of the soldiers are under 30 years old) to fight in WWIII or a nuclear armageddon? That's what keeps me up at night.
Thanks. It was one of my darker moments. Maybe best not to have posted it. I think the intent of this forum is not so much deep philosophy and more present moment awareness. I'll try to keep a muzzle on. LOL
Did I say he was actually conquering anyone? NO. I said it would raise his resolve to conquer. He is not conquering but he is murdering civilians wholesale. He is destroying the infrastructure of a country. Giving Putin rhetorical fuel is like someone banging on a hornet's nestwith a stick then, running away to stand and watcheveryone else get stung from afar.
I'm tired. I don't have the will to argue with you about how you parse my comments unless you actually read and understand the context.
I agree; it may not have been the most diplomatic or politic thing to say but it's certainly true and if, along with the rest of his words to the Russian people, it inspires some action on their part, so much the better. There is a great deal to be said for people speaking their minds openly and honestly and, although there might be some flak in the short term, in the long run we'd all be better off for it.
Jenny Hawkins, you endorse Joe Biden's support for the anti-democratic far-right terrorist thug regime in Ukraine. How can you sleep at night?
"In January 2018, Azov rolled out its National Druzhina street patrol unit whose members swore personal fealty to Biletsky and pledged to “restore Ukrainian order” to the streets. The Druzhina quickly distinguished itself by carrying out pogroms against the Roma and LGBT organizations and storming a municipal council. Earlier this year, Kiev announced the neo-Nazi unit will be monitoring polls in next month’s presidential election."
I read the Nation article you linked. To summarize, it says there is a small faction of far-right, neo-nazis in Ukraine. Further, it says these neo-nazis have formed paramilitary groups and have some connections in the police and military. Basically, they are describing Ukraine’s version of our own Three Percenters or Proud Boys (you could easily read this article and substitute “Three Percenters” for “Maidan”). Neo-nazi groups like this can be found in every western democracy. These are not mainstream groups. Their existence does not mean that Zelenskiy is a “thug” (a Jewish neo-nazi? really?) or the Ukrainian government is a neo-nazi regime, any more than the existence of the Proud Boys means Biden is a neo-nazi thug. Your hyperbole is breath-taking.
Interesting sidenote - an account @John_Schmeeckle has been suspended by Twitter for behaving like a troll bot, focusing on attacking Ukraine and reposting Russian propaganda, going back well before Putin’s invasion, and linking to numerous articles from Sputnik News (amongst others). The same John Schmeeckle? Who knows.
Zelensky was presiding over the ongoing neo-Nazi atrocities in the Donbass (artillery shelling of civilian targets, like what the Serbs did to the Bosnians), until the Russian invasion made him stop.
Beyond that, the principal supporter behind Zelensky's rise to power was the same Ukrainian oligarch who funded the neo-Nazi Azov battalion:
Well John, one final comment. I think you are confused or again flipping a projection of facts. The Russian supported separatists in the Donbass, complete with Russian sniper corps and military supplies, was the first act of this Russian aggression.
As to Ukranian oligarch(s) supporting Zelensky, this is laughable. Zelensky won his election with 73% of the vote, and with a platform to fight corruption. You might find supporting right wing conspiracies, as evident of the articles in StationGossip, just that, conspiracies, versus the facts.
I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cubsn missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
I do not see the current regime as neo-Nazi. I do understand that there were problems before. What is troubling to me is that you are repeating Russian propaganda. I am an old school D, not related to anyone important except way back and long dead. I was brought up in a Republican state by Republican parents.
The way I see things, there was no real change when Zelensky was brought to power (through the help of a friendly oligarch), although some of the grosser violations probably stopped.
I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cuban missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
Looks that way. His posts are all over the internet. Many of those who believe as he does seem to think everyone else is as gullible as they are but won't admit to being.
JR, your comment reads like an attempt at Nazi-style disinformation in support of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi thug regime. I will quote from the second and third paragraphs of that article from The Nation, which you pointedly ignore:
"There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
JR, you come across as a McCarthyist bigot and an apologist for Ukrainian neo-Nazi atrocities. May you please change your tune.
The four year old Nation article described a minority group in Ukraine. Anti-Semitism has always been a factor in Eastern Europe and bears watching, just as it does in the United States. This is probably why the historic emigration of Jews from Europe came mostly from Eastern European countries and not from Germany or France. The Nation article does not justify opposition to today's Ukraine government.
Zelensky was presiding over the ongoing neo-Nazi atrocities in the Donbass (artillery shelling of civilian targets, like what the Serbs did to the Bosnians), until the Russian invasion made him stop.
Beyond that, the principal supporter behind Zelensky's rise to power was the same Ukrainian oligarch who funded the neo-Nazi Azov battalion:
As others have pointed out, that Nation article (2018) pre-dates Zelenskiy’s election and democratic reforms (which are a work in process, there’s a lot of resistance from oligarchs and right-wingers). The most recent Freedom House analysis of Ukraine calls it a “nation in transition”, with a rating of 39/100 on their freedom scale. Freedom House rates Putin’s Russia as “not free”, with a rating of 19/100. If we are going to call a country a “neo-nazi thug regime” then Putin’s Russia wins hands down. BTW, “may you please change your tune” is an unusual phrasing. не могли бы вы изменить свою мелодию?
What planet are you on? Not this one, surely. Remember that Stalin may have killed more innocent people than Hitler, but when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Churchill (who had been a life-long anti-Communist) noted that “If Hitler invaded Hell, I should at least make a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.” I war, you often cannot pick your allies.
I think you are misinterpreting Jon's comment. Stalin murdered millions of his own people. Churchill knew that Stalin was pure evil but Stalin chose to align with the Allies against Hitler. For that time Stalin was the lesser of two evils.
I don't understand how you can possibly interpret that comment as trolling.
Yes. It is a common occurrence for some members of this forum to call those they disagree with a troll. Lately, it becomes fashionable for some to accuse others of being unpatriotic or un American. It can be a very testy place, this forum. Gird your loins. And welcome!
Daria, I was responding to the post above Jon's- from John Schmeeckle, and actually agreeing with Jon. Sorry, Jon, I frequently see your comments, and like all of them. I'm well aware of Stalin's tyranny, and know people whose parents and grandparents had been banished by him to Siberia from Lithuania. As you say, at least the monster aligned with the Allies. Otherwise we might all have been exterminated. I doubt that most people here think they need to "gird their loins" where I'm concerned.
Nancy, I'm sorry! Your comment didn't appear in the right sequence then. I actually thought that it was an odd comment for you to make!
About girding ones loins: there is some pretty testy stuff happening here, even today. People are telling others they don't belong here, people are questioning another's patriotism and whether or not they are "true Americans". WTF does that even mean? There is a good measure of meanness going these days. I was mean this morning as well.
Viewing the posts on his FB page as a whole are useful for understanding where he's coming from. The only *opinion* I can offer is that he loves trees.
I was responding to the post above Jon's- from John Schmeeckle, and actually agreeing with Jon. Sorry, Jon, I frequently see your comments, and like all of them.
These days, anti-Russian bigotry is fashionable. McCarthyism in the 1950s included labeling as "Communist" anyone who sounded socialist, and these days, anyone who criticizes Ukraine gets the "Putin's playbook" treatment. In Orwell's 1984, there was a character named Emmanuel Goldstein, whom everybody was expected to hate. Today in the USA, Putin is made to fill that "enemy image."
It won't surprise me if the Proud Boys, et. al. won't be "monitoring" polls in several states this November either. The fact that Ukraine's short history of independence from the Soviets hasn't qualified them to be acolytes is not a reason to paint them with the same brush as Putin. Our own history suggests that progress in a democracy is no fairy tale; it's more like 2 steps forward, 1 step back, sometimes with decades between steps forward. Intent matters; those who participated in Ukraine's revolution in 2014 demonstrated their intent, which is still playing out today, just as our revolution 230 some-odd years ago is also still playing out today. The West is lining up behind an ideal that was clearly demonstrated and is currently defended at cost of many lives and despite massive destruction by Russia. Focus all you wish on what's imperfect about them, but also acknowledge that the biggest thug in the neighborhood is the one who invaded their country.
The West has re-colonized the South, and the genocidal IMF (based in Washington, D.C.) has enslaved Ukraine. Once again, from Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the IMF:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
And when Lindsay Graham threatened Putin with hanging? People seem to forget that but let's pick President Biden apart because we hate his fight for Democracy.
Agree. After all the gaffes from tfg and his supporters I have zero interest in any faux outrage over a from-the-heart and truthful statement by Biden. Biden speaks from his heart-because he has one. Democrats have to stop equivocating and walking back any statement the republicans and the media attempt to frame as controversial. We need to stand together and support each other. This sounds so binary and simplistic but at this point it is and unless we stand together we will lose. And that is a horrifying prospect.
I’m trying to ❤️ your comment but it won’t let me. At any rate I fully agree with what you’ve said. The right wing noise machine is always working overtime these days.
SarahWall73- try refreshing this page by going to the top of this page by clicking on the incomplete circle w/the arrow @ the end of it to the left of the search bar. After that, try clicking the heart-it usually works for a bit.
I am not certain that it is a gaffe even though everyone says it is. I think he wanted that out there. I watched on earlier German news and then later as the German man that is at the White House, and was with Biden in Poland first just said, Biden said this, and he did not have an opinion on it, but he looked upset. In the later news when a different anchor interviewed him he added in that Biden made a big mistake. So, I guess he talked it over with someone and made a decision on how Germany sees this. Full disclosure, I am a duel German and American citizen and my thoughts were, " Biden should have said, for all the European countries who do not want to give up Russian energy sources immediately, how will you feel if Putin drops a nuke on one of your cities right now? Will you then feel it is an immediate priority to give it up?" I say this, because I think that the people who should be worried about Putin getting out his nukes are the other European countries. And as long as they continue to give Putin revenue he has money to pay some people to do his bidding. I just wonder if he personally has the technical know-how to detonate nuclear bombs on his own if no one will do it at his bidding. I am assuming not! That is, the rest of his military knowledge seems to be lacking, so why not this. If it is, then what that means is that someone has to be willing to carry the orders out! Isn't that what we are trying to change?
I agree with you that our European allies are likely the first victims of Putin extremist actions. He doesn't seem to consider nuclear fallout a real danger or health threat as long as he himself is safe. I think creation of a no-fly zone and other escalations will be decisions made by European leaders, not the US, for that reason.
Yes, Tiny Desk Pounding Lindsey; the individual being pushed to the wrong side of history with his own hypocrisies. Disloyal friend, preening sycophant to current power lord, wielder of the impotent “hand chop” tilting at windmills of his own imagination
Challenge his people by asking them what they value and watch them squirm
Are you ready to give up without a fight? If not, then--not to put too fine a point on it--it wastes time and energy to talk about how powerful the enemy is.
Please, Lisa, do not repeat that defeatist nonsense. We have NOT already lost the 2022 midterms. If you listen to any of the democratic strategists, especially Joe Trippi who has joined the Lincoln Project, there is much to be optimistic about. (1) after thinking the Dems would lose a ton of seats in the House due to redistricting, it looks like we actually will gain a few. (2) the Republicans are on track to nominate real wingnuts in the primaries who could very much lose in the general elections. So don't call the game before the final buzzer.
Hi Lisa. I have read a number of replies, and frankly I didn’t get my buttons pushed by your position. I have been reading your comments for months, and I respect you and your opinion. I do disagree with you, however, that it’s a foregone conclusion that the Republicans win the midterms. They are in more disarray than I’ve ever seen that party, and they are more clearly and with greater conviction viewed as fascist, pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine, racist, sexist, and homophobic than ever before. I also take into consideration that there was a strong backlash to having Trump reelected. A lot of new voters came out of the woodwork for record-breaking voting totals in 2020. Anyway, it’s speculation, no one really knows, but my gut is leaning 60-40 towards the Democrats keeping their majority in Congress. Of course the Senate is up for grabs again.
I fully agree. There is the proverbial lifetime before the midterms. I hold to the position that an effective weeks-long, televised exposé by the House Committee will send shockwaves through America. Effectively they will be a first draft of history and Americans will be riveted.
The cultists will never be won over. That’s a given. However there are millions of reasonable, sensible Americans who will realize that the government must be purged of rot, and voting in wild-eyed R’s will not serve that purpose. And then there are the Democrats who are going to fight like it’s their last free election.
I am convinced that the rancid, revolutionary Republican movement has about run its course. The KBJ hearings are one more nail in the coffin.
Trump no longer has the grip he once had on America. Slowly he’s becoming more and more irrelevant. We see this from the increasingly serious challenges coming at him from others hoping to assume his mantle. But they are wolves in wolves’ clothing and people on the right are going to be split between those who want to preserve the real thing, and those who want someone new and shiny to articulate their increasingly absurd shows of anger.
Perhaps it is a good thing that the DOJ has been SLOW. A martyred Trump might be dangerous. Although in truth, the sloth like pace of this agency has left me in a mood to tear my hair out all too often.
As far as the Biden “gaffe”, it wasn’t. The White House going into overdrive about it was another example of the mindful nannying behavior that the Democrats have turned into an ugly art form.
It was a simple truth. Look at the state of Ukraine today and consider that this is all because of one man’s war. Of course Putin should not remain in power. What would he have to do beyond the horrors already inflicted to deserve the comment Biden delivered.
Yes, the nuclear threat hovers over us, and if carried out to its extreme the world would be annihilated. So the Americans and NATO have been prudent in their response - prudent but fierce nonetheless.
But what if Russia had slam-dunked on Ukraine in a week? What if they had them gone on to the Moldova, the Baltic States, and/or Poland? There would certainly be conventional war then. In the midst of that, Putin would undoubtedly issue nuclear threats. Would we then try to ‘negotiate’?
Biden’s message was hard-hitting and direct. Putin rarely hears home truths. I cheered it and hated the inevitable tortured cleanup.
Brilliant, Eric. Your comments are always exceptional and brilliantly stated. I agree with every word, and could hardly begin to state it so well.
Gaffe my ass. I’m delighted at all the opinion pieces pushing back against the idea that Biden did anything other than speak for humanity. In my life I am surrounded by kind, gentle people who think always of treating others well. My own wife said weeks ago that Putin needs to be offed. When WOMEN are calling for disposing of someone, that tells you something.
Biden himself was told, by women fleeing the war, that they would strangle Putin.
I had a professor in college (a very long time ago) who said that his aunt thought that the Philippine Insurrection was the greatest war the US had ever fought--her husband was killed in it. Are you certain that what you hear is not the complaints of people at the supermarket or on the bus, and that it really represents as solid majority even in your state?
When voters are restricted and the class action suits begin, autocracy will need to be fully declared. Lets see how many Americans tear up the Constitution
WSJ ........reported an independent registered nurse in Scottsdale stated because of diaper and grocery price increases she will likely vote R. That short sightedness concerns me as I think it indicative of a large number of voters. My hope is the R's have done enough crazy that it will pull in a landslide of new voters and maybe a number of the opposite side to vote dem. Thin thread of hope for certain.
I don't believe they are lost at all. A lot depends on what happens with the majority of Americans who are not MAGA subscribers. The sum total of presidential voters in the last election was about 156 million, suggesting that there are at least another 50-75 million who did not vote. There's lots of ground to plow amongst the electorate. Why not imagine a congress in which moderates in both parties would rather work with one another to accomplish things than with the extremists on either side, then work to see that vision become reality.
Yes, it is unfortunate that the US has a shameful history of *involvement* in regime change that undercuts any insistence that the statement was merely rhetorical.
Get some rest, Heather. As always, your commitment and dedication to keeping us informed is deeply appreciated and valued. I am grateful everyday Trump is not President during this difficult and treacherous time. Biden cares about people and we all know Trump cares about only Trump.
The best four words I ever heard begin this Letter. “Today, President Joe Biden”. Never again President Donald Trump. If chump were in office, Ukraine would have been handed over in a nanosecond with Rupert singing glory hallelujah. And the MSM chiming in. The America first crowd would be learning Russian, a few cult nuts would be deprogramming themselves, and all would be waking up in a world unrecognizable.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
This should not be viewed as a gaffe. Not to be regretted. This is a speech to be proud of - start to finish. Putin did all he could to choose the President of the United States - more than once. For some in our country, that was OK. And stating the obvious is a gaffe? Good grief.
For President Biden to say to the Russian people they are not our enemy and that Putin should not remain in power is a simple statement of fact - one which is consistent with previous statements by Biden and other world leaders: Putin is a murderer. Putin has committed war crimes. Putin continues to slaughter innocent civilians - the elderly and children. He bombs hospitals, schools and shelters with no military presence. He is decimating entire cities. He is about to cause famine across the globe as one of the major producers of wheat can't plant. Many of those that survive will be severely malnourished. And Americans at home will be whining about inflation.
And Putin shouldn't be removed from office? That should have happened long ago. Biden is telling the Russian people the truth about their dictator.
I am beyond weary of the tearing down of Joseph Biden. First he is "too weak and not doing enough". Then he "is too tough" or made a "gaffe". Does anyone disagree with the fact that Putin is a danger to humanity and should be removed from office? Really? This is one man's war. That one man needs to go.
No, this was not a gaffe. This was a message to the Russian people about what their dictator is doing and why they need to find a new leader. Sounds smart to me. Biden speaks the truth. Be proud.
Thank you Bill, your writing is spot on. I agree with all you wrote and share your view on Biden’s speech along with your opinion of his supposed gaffe. I too am sick of the constant tear-down of everything said or done by Biden. We should all be thanking our lucky stars that it’s Biden in the White House at this time, and not the previous piece of s**t.
I'm glad to hear that President Biden's remarks are being subtitled in Russian, so that there's at least a chance that his words might reach both Ukrainians and Russians.
Thank you, Dr. Heather. Go to bed! 💜💜💜 Your work is priceless to us.
President Biden said what I have been saying for days, weeks, months, years and even decades, right up to including that Putin has canceled his nation's progress and participation in the 21st Century, and "“For God’s sake this man cannot remain in power.”
I have also said this about our own nation, with statements that Republicans have been killing our potential, taking us backward and that each recent Republican president and many of their elected officials "“For God’s sake [they] cannot remain in power” or even close to power. The same should be said for FOX.
I lay awake at night thinking about what my next letter should say to my Trump loving siblings when everyday practical issues, maintenance and solutions are thwarted by conspiracy theories, lies, misinformation some of which they know, but claim it's for a good cause, just like Putin says it's for a good cause.
Am reading about Maine families sending their sons, fathers and husbands off to fight the Civil War to save the Union. Even women went to tend to the wounded. Some men went to join the Christian Commission to provide religious support to soldiers. They didn't pray for cruel violent victory and domination. They prayed for a quick end to the war and for the injured, suffering and dead. They witnessed heads, arms, legs, hands and feet blow off or cut off in surgery. The witnessed death and dying by illness and disease like typhoid. They drank from mud puddles on the march in hot sun, because they were without water. They wrote home and kept journals. They were Bowdoin and divinity college graduates, lumbermen, fishermen, lawyers, and ministers. They had traveled the world or much of the United States living in Maine to Minnesota to Gettysburg. They had a foundation in and sense of responsibility for democracy that many Americans today seem to be unconscious of.
I have no idea how to reach unconscious Americans. Many of them don't read or talk, let alone deal with anything that doesn't entertain, comfort and protect them from challenging thought and physical sacrifice.
Heather, you have contextualized this momentous speech with such élan, giving it the extra depth only great historians can impart. Thank you!
The difficult and profound work of democracy must be undertaken by all -- "[m]y country as well” must do the "hard work of democracy." These words can't ring more true! We must prepare ourselves to work even harder to protect our democracy and our freedoms!
'"it’s not enough to speak with rhetorical flourish, of ennobling words of democracy, of freedom, equality, and liberty,' he said. 'All of us…must do the hard work of democracy each and every day. My country as well.' His message 'for all freedom-loving nations,' he said, is that 'we must commit now to be in this fight for the long haul.' In the end, though, 'the darkness that drives autocracy is ultimately no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere.' 'We will have a different future—a brighter future rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and possibilities.'"
I listened to Biden’s speech while he was flanked by dignitaries from our NATO nations. It is astounding that our President carries that much weight on his shoulders; that other nations look up to him for guidance. We should be very proud of that and for the fact that he called out the monster by name. MSM can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. They aren’t necessarily in the room, behind closed doors where negotiations are taking place. They are receiving their info from “their sources”. I also liked the fact that Joe spoke about how things in the US need changes. Everyone has been fearful of Putin and his like for many years. Because of the internet, social media, Anonymous’s ability to hack into Russia’s banks and the oligarchs accounts, we are privy to see that little man, Vlad, has been exposed for everything he is, a thief, and a murderer. Good for Joe!! Now get Ms. Griner out of Russia.
I always read Ms. Rubin. She is a gem. If WaPo would only get rid of Olsen, Thiessen and Hewitt, it would improve the paper. I think the level of comments those three trolls invoke keeps them employed. The comments are always enjoyable even if the articles are complete hooey.
I agree with you. For me Olsen, Hewitt and Thiessen always provide the opportunity to cut and paste facts on how Biden is really doing in the polls, the economy and his statesmanship, though. And the comments section is usually a rousing Democratic pep rally.
I contribute more to WaPo comment section than The NY Times comment section. WaPo comment section is much more fun. The Times comment section is too staid sometimes. The monitors can be too strict.
Why should it be considered a gaffe to say what the majority of the world thinks? Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world would be better off without Putin in power, just as the US, Europe and most of the remainder of the world is now better off without tfg in the White House. We may as well deal with him from a position of telling the unvarnished truth. The West can still talk to him, still negotiate for cessation of conflict while openly preferring that he no longer be in power. That's different than provoking an escalation of conflict, which is best achieved by allowing fighting to cross a border, including the border back into Russia. It's a farce to suggest that we can supply endless anti-tank weapons without risk of provoking escalation, but 20 fighter planes would cross the invisible line. Putin has clearly demonstrated he can fabricate his own rationale for escalation. Repaint them, fuel them, arm them and leave them out unattended and some Ukrainian pilots can "steal" them from wherever they are parked, for Pete's sake. Let them dribble in one or two at a time. Russia is unabashedly utilizing every tool in their toolbox aside from WMDs, so why pretend that we're just spectators with Bandaids and Tylenol to offer.
The majority of the world?? Perhaps the majority of the English-speaking world, but India and China haven't been following the ridiculous Anglo-American propaganda talking points.
Then again, why would countries led by authoritarians ridicule a fellow authoritarian? I'm not quite sure why you are posting these somewhat outlandish comments. As I understand, only the UK, US, and Canada are English speaking countries of NATO. Leaving just Ireland and the UK as English speaking countries in the EU. This is misinformation, akin to your comments of 'Orwellian-McCarthyist Bigotry". Might you be projecting?
Respectively, no missed groove. In the context of the war in Ukraine, "the ridiculous Anglo-American propaganda talking points" is a rather rich statement. I noted NATO and EU for the obvious reasons, which really don't need explanation beyond the obvious war in Europe.
Yet, I do find myself perplexed by your not addressing my first question regarding authoritarians, nor my last suggesting a projection "of Orwellian-McCarthyist Bigotry". This somehow seems an oxymoron to me...seems a rather conflicting label, yes? Then again, maybe there is no explanation.
I already explained my "Orwellian McCarthyist bigotry comment; it's around here somewhere.
Once again, I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cuban missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
Do you believe that China and India are in favor of Putin's sabre rattling? Do you believe they feel more secure when he raises the alert level of his nuclear war assets? I seriously doubt that most countries, whatever their opinion of Democracy, the EU, the US, feel that escalating the threat level for a nuclear conflict is in their best interest.
I do not think that either China or India would embrace what Biden said. I suspect that my view of what really happened is radically different from yours.
I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cubsn missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
Indeed, China and India probably won't publically align with the Euro-American liberal democratic axis, but what they say publicly, think privately, do and don't do all figure into their stance towards Russia. Lets not forget that the 8 year chronic conflict has been occurring on Ukrainian soil, as well as the current war. Let's also not forget whose soil the Chechnya and Georgia actions occurred. It was a short 30 years ago that Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, so it doesn't surprise me that there are elements in Ukraine whose behavior has mimicked that of Russia, but the weight of evidence is clearly on the side of their interest in, and march towards democracy as opposed to autocracy. If we are to be compared to Russia, then we should have long since invaded Cuba, slaughtered many thousands of their citizen non-combatants and installed a puppet government, suppressed local media and political interests and demilitarized the island. We would have invaded and occupied the northernmost section of Mexico and established internal barriers to immigration north. And, we would have heavily suppressed any internal US press that reported on those activities to keep internal opposition as passified as possible. I think the US made huge errors in Iraq and Afganistan which weakened the force of our ideals tremendously and acted as justification for Putin's aggression in the eastern Europe and near-Asian spheres. However, in each case, coalitions of nations participated and our press remained essentially unfettered in its ability to report and opine on those actions. There aren't any purely white hats in this world, but it's not difficult to tell black from white-ish in this episode. Your concept of "losing" a nuclear war is alarming, as there are no winners in a nuclear conflict. Mutually assured destruction assures that everyone loses, including the remainder of the world. Russia is free to establish and offer similar banking systems to any country that wishes to participate. Saying "we don't wish to do business with you anymore" is not an act of war, no matter what Putin says. Had the Russian military stayed in their barracks, the subsequent consequences would have not occurred.
I don't have time to do justice to your reply, with which I have profound disagreements. I will simply obvserve that your assertion that the Americsn press is "essentially unfettered" is absurd on its face.
That's a shame. I fear that you'll be locking your door, closing your curtains and sleeping in a different bed every night now that you've expressed views potentially unfavorable to the current regime. I've lived overseas and experienced different interpretations of American history, and I know that one shouldn't simply absorb and reflect everything one hears on the news. I think the discussion we're having now and the forum on which we are interacting suggests that we have substantial freedom of expression and opinion in this country.
A 38-nation Pew Research Center survey finds more than half in each of the nations polled consider representative democracy a very or somewhat good way to govern their country.
Ah, er, I think that might be an assumption, but in any case, that brings up the Democracy vs Autocracy discussion. An imperfect democracy leads my list
No one questioned Reagan or called out “gaffe,” or stated Reagan was outside his American President lane of responsibility when he called out then Soviet dictator Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” I’m tired of the press/media shredding Biden. It’s exhausting. If legit journalist integrity doesn’t get a backbone soon, it may find itself shot down completely as it is in Russia now.
My assessment of the habitual mendacity of the mainstream news media, including its deplorable coverage of the situation in Ukraine, together with my inclinication to condemn the genocidal imperialism emanating from Washington, D.C., has been strongly influenced over the past three decades by my reading of Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, which I view as essentially honest, and which is a taboo subject, blacked out of the mainstream news media.
And now, for the first time, the first 29 pages are readily available online. I'll share a few quotes:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
"The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same -- his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." ~John Swinton (1829–1901)
"For God's sake: this man cannot remain in power." We could say the same about some governors of US states . . . So my question is: now that people are finally paying attention to the wackadoo that is Ginni Thomas, are we going to be able to get rid of the despicable Clarence?
Yes, let's not get distracted by our president's one line and forget about what is happening here in our country. We need a long, hard look at Ginni and Clarence Thomas.
Are we ever going to indict tfg and his criminal cabal? Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached and removed from the SCOTUS. There are so many bad characters and it is frustrating as hell that they are allowed to stay on the "stage". We are governed by a rule of law, we should be using it!
I think Biden has risen to new heights in this his greatest challenge while in office amidst many other challenges. His statement about removing Putin from office did in no way imply that he was going to do so- it was a statement that Putin should be removed from office. If anything, his speech reached out to the Russian people. They themselves are victims of Putin's cruel dictatorship. If anyone is going to remove Putin, it will have to be the Russian people themselves. And if they do, Biden has assured them that they can count on American support.
Let us begin by immediately creating the 2nd Global Fund. Let us begin with a Trillion Dollar investment in scalable clean, green renewable energy technologies and the storage solutions that dramatically accelerate the worldwide energy transformation and break the deadly global fossil addiction.
A Squanderable Abundance of Energy is "The" game changer for all of humanity ... the way forward that ends the carnage and needless suffering of global material scarcity.
This is the time, this is the challenge and the opportunity ... this is the gift of these trying times.
Best comment of the day! Now is the time. Europe has finally realized that Russia can't be relied on for energy. The response to an American initiative would have to be greeted with open arms. Thanks for this!
BTW, I saw a great piece by Miles O'Brien last not on the NewsHour about geothermal energy. Wow. Huge potential for completely sustainable electricity - using the skill sets developed in the oil fields! True energy freedom could be around the corner for every nation. And jobs for fossil fuel workers to boot!
Timothy Snyder on Ari Melber the other day said that the time for the world to have gotten off fossil fuels was after 9/11. Democracies cannot stay democracies if they are dependent economically on autocracies .
Tom, Iceland's situation is very different from nearly every other place: they live on a geothermal hot spot that is directly available to tap into. The technology is simple. Geothermal has also been used in other areas (including my home state in the NW), and does have a lot of potential, but there are limitations and also risks of contamination of groundwater and soil. It has to be designed and managed carefully.
Yes, Geo is a relatively small part of the solution with many dangers and complexities. This is why we need to begin by creating the Trillion Dollar Global Fund 2. The key concept and opportunity is Global,.
I lived for years near the Larderello geothermal power station in Tuscany. It was the world's first (1911) (not counting the Romans, who also used geothermal power) and I think Wairakei in New Zealand was the next. They are not alone:
With solar and wind being cheaper, more accessible, and with much smaller environmental impact, commercial geothermal is the toughest option to pursue at the moment, especially in terms of placing facilities in regions where the rock foundations produce suitable siting
I saw that piece also on the NewsHour! It was very encouraging to see the work being done with geothermal energy...and to see the oil industry jumping on the bandwagon...it gave hope...
Dave, geothermal is not tied to fracking. It is like a heat pump that uses heat from the earth. I think perhaps we need to stop thinking of energy primarily in terms of large scale, and think more about a range of small-scale environmentally responsible sources that supplement each other.
But, as I tried to point out earlier, limited to places that are "hot spots" unless you plan to dig very very deep wells. As a professional hydrogeologist along the arc of my career, I can assure you that that presents some significant challenges. Which is one of the things that led me to the next part of my career. Now I think I'd like to return to the main focus of this forum, rather than get sidetracked into something that definitely does need discussion, but probably not here.
I need some clarification, please. I have a home geothermal system, 7 wells were dug. Why is fracking necessary large scale? To power electrical plants? Thanks.
There’s a difference between the twenty foot wells dug for residential purposes and the deep well required to provide steam to power plants. Geothermal for heating a house is different than the requirements to spin a turbine for electricity
Hmm... I still don't understand where fracking is an issue. Deeper reach for aquifers may have issues especially with cost, but I'm not understanding where fracking enters the equation. Thanks.
The Geo Thermal systems for steam generation to power turbines go miles deep into rock. Fracking is used to crack the rock to provide the surface area into which fluid is pumped to down into the fractured rock and then returned back to the surface under pressure to drive the turbines. I’ll look for a link
Did HCR treat the last line of President Biden's speech at Royal Castle in the Poland too lightly -- much too lightly?
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
'That last line seemed a logical conclusion to the argument Biden has been making about the struggle between democracy and autocracy, rallying democratic countries to stay unified against Putin as his troops smash Ukraine. But it prompted a flurry of media stories saying Biden had made a gaffe, changing his long-standing insistence that the U.S. is not engaging in regime change but rather is trying to defend Ukraine’s right to exist independently of Russia.' (Letter)
Biden's line a 'gaffe'? “For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.” … 'an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder.
Biden's line was in my opinion far more consequential than a 'gaffe'. Here we are in the midst of Putin seeking to wreak Ukraine and the threat of using nuclear weapons is not idle talk.
I don't think it a mystery how Putin took Biden's line. It came at a time when Putin is suffering a crucial loss to his sense of invincibility, Biden's line was extremely provocative. It is not so much how the media toys with Joe's costly mouthing; it is about what Putin makes of it, and he won't forget.
This isn't what friendly folks want or don't want. It is about being smart during wartime. Joe's mouth was out of control. It wasn't the least bit smart. Do you see the administration running away from it to no avail?
Anyway. President Biden was flanked by members of NATO. They obviously chose him to speak for them. He has decades of foreign experience. He has knowledge of behind the scenes information we can't even begin to imagine the content.
I refuse to follow along with the petty press and call this a gaffe. Why pick it apart? I see no good in it except to further wobble support for this President and his mission of shoring up Democracy here and around the world.
He has been hailed by NATO allies. But back in America we continue to pick pick pick.
I very much dislike how the word “gaffe” has now and forever been associated with Biden’s speaking, driven by the media’s characterization of him. If we disagree with what he said (which, to be fair, is what most like-minded people think), call it something else, but not a gaffe, or you cement thinking of him like this. Was it a mistake to say what he said? I don’t know, probably. But maybe we could talk about it using a different word.
Indeed, Biden, the quintessential Deep State swamp creature,, has "knowledge behind the scenes"; he knows where a lot of bodies are buried. And regarding "information we can't even begin to imagine the content," please read on:
My assessment of the habitual mendacity of the mainstream news media, including its deplorable coverage of the situation in Ukraine, together with my inclinication to condemn the genocidal imperialism emanating from Washington, D.C., has been strongly influenced over the past three decades by my reading of Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, which I view as essentially honest, and which is a taboo subject, blacked out of the mainstream news media.
And now, for the first time, the first 29 pages are readily available online. I'll share a few quotes:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
"The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same -- his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." ~John Swinton (1829–1901)
Barbara, in recent months you have attacked subscribers who differed with President Biden and or criticized our country. While in the past you were associated with causes that opposed actions by the U.S. government -- not now. You have written comments indicating that at this time you found such 'negativity' almost unpatriotic. I think your position is undemocratic. It is as though you are on a mission to quell dissent. We cannot all be fans as you have become. As much as I am grateful that Biden is our president and impressed by his efforts to improve the lives of many, he is not infallible. Joe Biden is not king. I shall break your rule to say at best, I think you have been overbearing in your zeal.
An old saying I've often heard: when you point your finger at someone in judgement, keep in mind that your other fingers are pointing back toward yourself. A country way of saying projection, and you might think about that, Fern.
While your posts are generally intelligently written, they are not necessarily insightful or deep, and too often get stuck on inconsequential details or simply arguing about who is right, keeping the focus on you and how intelligent you are compared to others. It's tiresome.
Annie, You make it your business to judge people and obviously have a high opinion of your talent or wouldn't feel up to doing it so often. Being on the forum affords you plenty of subjects. You're in the right place Annie, and not pleasant, while you're at it. Salud.
Fern, I rarely disagree with you. But I believe Joe Biden said what needed to be said. Everything Biden does to oppose this genocide will anger Putin. Biden is showing leadership. Perhaps if Putin dares to show up at the G20, all the leaders from democracies will turn their backs on him or simply exit the room if he enters.
There is little hope for diplomacy now. There is only carefully applied strength. There are signs that it is working.
It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Russian people to see their leader dissed on the largest international stage. Putin is a pariah and his people should see that.
Good grief, Fern. What is this really all about? Making overmuch of something that isn't all that important. The scales simply do not balance on the amount of energy being put into it. For what? To come out on top? Can we stop this, please?
It's about piling on. One faction piles on another. You must be able to recognize that by now as its become quite a popular sport on this page. And we all play the game here, n'est pas?
I don't know how you came to believe I was referring at all to the Russians or suggesting the use of 'kid gloves'. My point is Putin was getting very negative marks and that it was not 'smart', of Biden calling negative attention to himself when the enemy is under klieg lights. The question and answer that I raised is how to speak strategically during wartime and not run your mouth
Rjs, You referred to Russians. What 'negative' remarks are you talking about? I found fault with Biden's unwise adlib, you disagree. That is fine with me. What are you complaining about?
Hello Fern! I do not think the last line of Biden's speech in Poland changed much of anything. Despite a failing military campaign with egregious losses, the Russians are not serious about a diplomatic solution. To them, Ukraine seems to be Chechnya on a larger scale.
Also, I would be totally gobsmacked if Putin has not assumed that the US/EU have wanted him out for the past 22 years. The invasion of Ukraine, the subjugation of Chechnya, the partial take over of Georgia, are all really aimed at preventing regime change in Russia. Did Biden foolishly touch a sore spot by saying Putin must go? Yes. Will those 9 words change the trajectory of what is happening in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe? No.
Vladimir Putin worries a lot more about his own people than what Joe Biden says or does. He sits in deep paranoia at the end of an endlessly long table, attends banquets but does not eat, drink, or touch anything. You think this man worries about us here in the US? Maybe, but his deepest fear is that Russians figure out who he really is, the Kleptocrat in Chief, the liar, the manipulator, the guy who doesn't care one whit about whether any other Russians live or die. His time will come, and it won't be pretty!
Do you dismiss the motive of revenge? At a time when Putin is mad out of mind because of the military embarrassment in Ukraine, when word of the war is getting out to some Russians and his country's economy is being shut down -- when he seems less invincible -- Joe's mouth gets out of control. Do you ignore the Putin - Trump alliance; Russian's ways on social media; the midterms... do you think Putin's natural instincts have been calmed or excited? On this one Steve, we are not aligned. Have you noticed how fast the administration is running away from it -- to no avail? Biden may have adlibbed, but this is no gaffe; it was lack of control at a price. Let Putin's mistakes fester without bringing negative attention to yourself, Mr. President.
Hi Fern. Putin has done far more damage to Putin than a sentence uttered by Joe Biden ever could. Putin's "natural instincts" have been excited for months. The Russian economy is being dismantled by sanctions. Their military has proven to be a very rusty tiger. The upper and middle management of Russian bureaucracy is made up, by intention, of not very talented people. Once the Russian stock market reopened, the Chinese started to not-so-quietly buy up Russian companies at bargain prices. This is public knowledge. The myth of Putin's "invincibility" has been exposed for lo these many weeks. As for revenge, what, really, can Putin do that is not already in motion? Nukes? Yes, that is why diplomacy is the only realistic way out of this mess. Did Biden's "Putin must go" remark make that more difficult? Yes. Insurmountable? No. Putin already has an unchewable mouthful. Biden's distraction from that fact really does not change anything.
Hi Steve. I appreciate this opportunity for us to elaborate on different points of view. I am sorry that Biden moved the klieg lights that were on Putin to himself. I also think that Biden provided 'them' with propaganda. Biden's line will have no effect on regime change. As I've written Biden diverted attention at a time. He should not be the subject now. In the ways I have suggested, his line did move the needle. It is possible to incite a wild animal to feed the monster's appetite. I cannot join you, Steve, with conclusion nothing happened. I wish it hadn't happened. You did in this comment move a little closer to 'something did happen'. I'm smiling, because we are two of friendliest with different points of view.
Hang in there Fern. I don't like disagreeing with you because you are brilliant. We'll see where and how far the needle moves in the coming days. The world is in a very reactive and distractable place right now. I never thought Biden's remark was nothing, I just don't think it is a game changer.
Steve, I will always 'hang in there', with you. I wasn't joking when I wrote that I appreciated the opportunity to elaborate on our differences of opinion. Most arguments, unfortunately, aren't as friendly as ours. Big smile.
I agree that though his last remark is what most of us are feeling, President Biden saying it took attention away from the body of this speech that was both brilliant and historical. It will be up to the MSM to pull back from the attention they are giving it. The MSM already put trump in office with the unbelievable amount of free press he was afforded. You’d think they’d have learned their lesson that ratings are not worth losing our democracy or inflaming an embarrassed tyrant. Is this me being naive?
Sharon, I wouldn't put this on MSM. I've already seen very qualified people expressing their concern about the line and Biden owns it. Not a 'gaffe' from my point of view but a strategic error of note. I don't think that it can be missed or dismissed. We don't know the consequences, but I'd say the line was regrettable.
I suspect it has not been much of an "embarrassment" for Putin: That is western propaganda spin. Russia's principal initual goal has been to degrade Ukraine's military capability, especially of the Ukrainian right-wing neo-Nazi military formations, and most especially in the Donbass area.
Russia has refrained from wholesale assaults on Jkrainian cities, with the significant exception of Maruipol, where the so-called Azov battalion (regiment) has a fanatic attachment, and where these neo-Nazis have been holding the civilian population hostage.
Oh, are we a minority, Lisa! I don't know if it has anything to do with being in recovery from the former president, but many subscribers seem to me to be oversensitive to any fault found with Biden. It may also have to do with the weakness of democracy in the USA. Do you think, paradoxically, that there is an undemocratic flavor to it? I don't mind being in the minority as it isn't a new experience me. Understandably, it feels good to hear Biden talk tough and express what the people themselves (including me) feel about Putin. It is one thing to have your feelings ratified by the president and for the world to hear but another to speak strategically in war time -- why inflame the enemy when his failure in Ukraine is burning bright under klieg lights. Why take any of that negative attention away from Putin?. My uneasiness is the reluctance of quite a few to even consider that perspective.
I hate to jump in here, but I think it’s more a wartime mentality that any harsh criticism of “our” side provides ammunition to the other side, be that our own home-grown autocratic, anti-democracy Republicans, or Putin and Russia. As I said in another comment, I don’t know if what Biden said was a mistake or not. None of us can truly know that, at least not yet. I think it likely that we’re all at least partly right - the comment can both provide ammunition to Putin and reflect western thinking and not matter very much at the same time. And I completely agree with you that we must support people’s right to make these criticisms. I defend your right to do so, but the fear of weakening our own position by doing so is, I think, not entirely misplaced. Thank goodness we still live somewhere where this kind of political discourse is possible.
Hi Charlie, Did anyone suggest that Biden didn't know what he was saying or that he lacked conviction? The line was not a 'gaffe' in my opinion and wrote so a few times, I don't understand why you addressed your statement to me, Charlie. What was your point?
Yes, Laura. My mind has centered on what Putin will do with that line of Biden's so has almost everyone else.
'How Biden sparked a global uproar with nine ad-libbed words about Putin'
'By declaring that the Russian leader ‘cannot remain in power,’ the U.S. president seemed to suggest a drastic change in U.S. policy — prompting a scramble by White House officials.'
“The words of a president matter,” he said more than once. “They can move markets. They can send our brave men and women to war. They can bring peace.”
'They can also, as Biden discovered on Saturday, spark a global uproar in the middle of a war.'
'With nine ad-libbed words at the end of a 27-minute speech, Biden created an unwanted distraction to his otherwise forceful remarks by calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be pushed out of office.'
“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.'
'Shortly after the speech, a White House official sought to clarify the comments.
“The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia or regime change,” the official said.'
“The speech was quite remarkable,” said Aaron David Miller, a veteran diplomat and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “This is one of those speeches where the one-liner in many ways drowns out the intent of the speech. Because that’s exactly what people are focusing on.”
“What it tells me, and worries me, is that the top team is not thinking about plausible war termination,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of the book “The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint.”
“If they were, Biden’s head wouldn’t be in a place where he’s saying, ‘Putin must go.’ The only way to get to war termination is to negotiate with this guy,” O’Hanlon said.' (Washington Post) See link below.
Fern, I happen to nudge towards your angle on this. Biden has a history of gaffes. This line plays into our historic knowledge of “Uncle Joe”. I believe it opened a Hugh front to divert attention from the crisis to the MSM entertainment/outrage machine. By saying such a consequential line, at such a pivotal moment in the war, it emboldens all the conspiracists - Putin included- to claim that America has only wanted regime change. And our history with “regime-change” blunders feeds this. It’s a remark that will vibrate a force to split Americans further, and most unfortunately, endanger the fragile solidarity of NATO. All the while Zelensky is passionately criticizing NATO for eloquent words but no muscled effectual help.
Michele, You extended the understanding of how Biden's line interrupted very significant business. I never considered his mouthing this time a 'gaffe' because in my opinion it was more consequential than that. During wartime, to incite the enemy and provide propaganda -- not made up stuff -- but right out there for the world to see -- that is a strategic mistake written large. You pointed to our history of 'regime change'. We're an easy mark on that score. I don't know that it will split NATO, but it is definitely cause for concern. I think TC frequently says, 'It's not easy.' Is it not!
Just want to thank Fern, et al, for the above discussion. I came in late to the thread this Sunday so I am just now getting into it. This back and forth keeps us from being a bubbly echo chamber!!!
I think that you have expressed the democratic spirit, Carol, in favor of robust exchange and a search for the truth. That isn't so easy -- plenty of shades in the mix. This is a very difficult time as we work together in the midst of a tragic, uncalled for war and a wobbly democracy at home. No matter - when I think of the Ukrainian people, I feel good as they have shown us strength as well as sorrow. Too many bad actors around and many more good ones, including the subscribers on the forum. Cheers, Carol, on we go.🌈🌻❤️
Heather Cox Richardson and others may want to consider President Biden's recent speech as a calculated response to President Putin's speech of Feb. 23:
Personally, I believe this was one of Biden's best speeches ever. There was no controversy, it was to the point addressing a blistering fact that Russia chose to invade Ukraine. This invasion is the definition of unmitigated provocation and destruction by Russia. Biden drove that point home.
I can't express how very pleased I am that Biden did not blame the people of Russia. When I was in our local Ukrainian store yesterday, the owner was addressing a person that said, "I don't want to buy anything from Russia". He very calmly said, "the Russian people did not do this, Putin did. Please show your displeasure to Putin, the Russian people are good people". As I stood in line to pay for my items, I thought how incredible this store owners resilience is. I know his family in Ukraine has lost everything.
A point I do keep in mind as I am fortunate enough to be able to get in my car, drive to my home and sleep in a warm bed at night. Those facts are not lost on me.
Lucky for us that Trump and his kids aren't ruling our country at this fraught time. He and Pompeo would have, in their admiration for Putin and his autocracy, not supported Ukraine and not helped rally opposition to the invasion. I really hope that many, many Americans recall this in the 2024 national election cycle.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
And right there is where Biden demonstrated he is 99% of what we need, and that the old saying "99 percent's a bitch and 100 percent is a breeze" is so true.
As much as everyone who heard him say that might agree with him (I do), that's not something someone "playing the game" does at his level, not the afternoon of the day in which the morning began with the Russian Defense Ministry announcing they would use nuclear weapons if "the existence of the state were threatened." We are dealing with a guy who has said he can't imagine living in a world in which "Russia does not have its proper place," a guy who thinks that proper place is leading the Empire of Eurasia, which stretches "from Dublin to Vladivostok" in the world of his crazy political philosopher Dugin, a guy who subscribes to Louis XIV and "l'etat c'est moi."
That damn Irish temper is something someone in Biden's position should have learned to control a helluva long time ago, given the years of political experience he has. You believe it in your heart and then you keep it there, by biting your tongue, hard enough to draw blood if need be, before you let it out. That was just plain Bog Irish Ignorant.
Napoleon said it best: "Never interrupt an enemy who is defeating himself." Putin's generals have managed to convince him they've lost, and they're working on an "off-ramp" by saying "Yeah, we only wanted to knock down Kyiv so we'd distract the Ukrainians while we finished taking Donbas." (Anyone who believes that is probably looking forward to their gift from the Easter Bunny, delivered on the morning the sun rises in the west.) You don't give the grandson of Stalin's cook a reason to get angry all over again.
This is why Biden is as good as we can get in the circumstances and a helluva lot better than the alternative, but I hope to hell one member of his staff can say to him, privately, never publicly, "Mr. President. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. It's better to be thought an idiot than to open one's mouth and prove it." This is Unforced Stupidity.
Putin already has enough to be angry about. His adventure is a mess. He is now considered a monster by many of his own people - and many, many more will feel the same as the truth penetrates Russia. Putin is already on a revenge tour. He doesn't respond to diplomacy. He only understands strength.
Putin is stumbling badly. He is already angry beyond imagination. He is failing. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure - not back down.
Biden is saying something to the Russians. Your leader is a murderer. Get rid of him. I don't see his statement as a gaffe - it is virtually required of anyone with a conscience.
And as far as statements go, this is a nothing burger compared to the world shattering inanities of TFG. Personally, I am proud of Biden's "Irish" frankness.
Now is NOT the time to rachet up pressure. Were you to read anyone from Sun Tzu to Clausewitz, you would know that you ALWAYS have to leave the opponent an avenue of retreat.
Interesting take. Perhaps this trait is why Obama cautioned him about pursing his dream to be President. My thought was he could have closed with a variation of the line with which he opened: "We are united and not afraid."
Bingo! "Napoleon said it best: "'Never interrupt an enemy who is defeating himself.'"
My eyebrows went up and eyes widened when Biden said his now infamous line. Simultaneously, I thought that is bold but cringed at how it was going to resonate. Now, that is all that is being talked about-the MSM has jumped right in making it front and center 24/7. In general, I think the president has been "running the gauntlet" reasonably well in this high stakes disaster. However, the regime change line is a "rookie mistake" and plays directly into Putin's hand - a card that did not need to be played. We blinked.
Yes. This morning, much of the follow-up to President Biden's speech underscores your points, TC. Today Dana Bash of CNN said that President Biden's "cannot remain in power" comments are raising eyebrows; this was said at the beginning of her coverage of the President's speech. The otherwise inspiring words of the President are now in the very long shadow cast by ad libbing, no matter how well intentioned. An associated corollary to TC's comments...from the world of many years of presentation skills training:
Be very clear about intended results of a speech/presentation. Say nothing not aligned with the "call to action"/intended results.
"call to action/intended results" - certainly you are referring to TFG's statements before and after the Insurrection of January 6th.
Biden simply expressed what all civilized people who believe in democracy, the rule of international laws, national boundaries, and basic decency feel. Intended results? Yes.
Putin DOES have to go. And the Russians will see to it sooner or later.
What Biden said pales in comparison to what Putin has done to foment "regime change" in the US. I am proud that Biden spoke up. Putin belongs in a cell. Everyone knows it.
If you're proud that he said that, then you're one of the morons Mencken had in mind when he said nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
And in case anyone missed it, Story One on Jonathan Capehart's show this morning was this one, with footage of Blinken running to the mics as soon as he could get off AF1 to say "Oh no! The president wasn't talking about regime change!"
What a fucking choice: a (well-meaning) Idiot or a Traitor.
I think this was the best speech given by our president. I wish the MSM would stop second guessing & explaining him. It's offensive & unnecessary. He knew what he said & he meant it.
I have never seen President Biden so clear, purposeful and oratorical as in these past few months. He has given some excellent speeches with the one yesterday being so powerful. He really shines away from the pettiness, sabotage and disinformation that exists in America today. He is eating the Republican's lunch on this. Their pro-Russian faction is making the whole party look bad.
And I don't believe what he said about removing Putin was a gaffe or careless. He said what everyone has been hinting at for weeks.
The pro-Russian faction is making the whole party look bad. Really. The whole party has been engaged in treasonous rhetoric and treasonous action for years. They no longer attempt to govern anything, or even participate on any level. We have enemies within that are as dangerous as Putin, most carrying the cross. Sorry that statement triggered my memory of Putin leading Chump around by the nose in Helsinki, and decades of republican evil deeds.
My point. Anti-Russian sentiments run long and strong in this Country. The Republicans misjudged that and now they are on video supporting Putin; wonderful campaign fodder for the Democrats. The pro-Putin, pro-Russian rhetoric backfired which is why the Republicans changed their tune.
In addition I am fully, painfully and fearfully aware of the damage the Republicans have done and continue to wrought against Democracy in the United States. Only someone in a coma or a cult or could miss that fact.
Barbara I would like to parse the phrase ‘anti-Russian sentiments.’ Recent polls reflect such ‘sentiments.’ However, this is a response to Putin and what he has done and is doing with his ‘silovikis.’
President Biden made clear that he was attacking Putin, not the Russian people. (His ab lib about Putin having to go could be interpreted as a sentiment for a better way of life for the Russian people.)
Perhaps the most dramatic example of how the U. S. Government could distinguish between a brutal regime and its population was 1919-1923 in Russia. We had troops fighting the Russian Reds in northern Russia and eastern Russia.
Several years later, in response to a massive Russian famine, Herbert Hoover (prior to his entry into government) organized and implemented an extraordinary food relief program that was gratefully honored by the Leninist/Stalinist government and the Russian people for years.
The American government did not recognize the Russian/Soviet government until 1933.
I am speaking of the Red Scare, Cold War, Cuban Crisis and Communists scare when saying anti-Russia sentiment. These are the things that are in the DNA of an awful lot of Americans. And yes. President Biden exhibited masterful skill in attacking Putin and not the Russians.
leaders turn populations against each other, and once the shooting starts it is usually too late. the cuban missile crisis was all about optics. the missiles in cuba would have been on above ground platforms and would have taken hours to deploy. meanwhile, there were missiles on russian nuclear subs off of both us coasts, not to mention missiles in underground silos in siberia. these were the real threat, but they were out of sight and out of mind for most americans. russia, meanwhile, was in paranoia mode. at a time when russia controlled the iron curtain countries from poland to bulgaria, she still thought of herself as 'surrounded' by enemy missiles, a laughable notion. kruschchev agreed to 'turn his ships around' when kennedy agreed to remove us missiles from turkey. kennedy hadn't even known they were there. in her second paragraph, HCR mentions the failed polish uprising in warsaw. it failed because of a cold-blooded decision on russia's part. the russian army was at the gates and the days of the germans were numbered. the polish underground asked that, as a matter of polish pride, they be allowed to signal the final offensive against the germans by coming out into the open to begin the battle, after which the russians would move in to assure victory. the russians agreed. but when the fighting started, the russians did nothing. the resistance leaders were all captured or killed in the german counteroffensive. then the russians moved in. without firing a shot the russians had killed off the future leaders of poland, the best, the bravest. this made it much easier for russia to control poland after the war. it took poland two generations to find new leaders, a pope and a shipyard electrician, who led a revolution in which less than ten people died. this has to be one of the great achievements of human history.
"These are the things that are in the DNA of an awful lot of Americans."
Absolutely. We have been drowned in anti-communist propaganda for a long time. Consider the many Hollywood dramatic and documentary films of the late 1940s and '50s which brought a rabid anti-communist message to Americans. (Sen. Joe McCarthy really capitalized on this.) We were bathed and fed with endless propaganda, and that message has further been instilled in subsequent generations. Even the word "socialism" can trigger fear and anger in so many millions of Americans today.
Keith, thank you for sharing that information. The more I learn, the less I realize I know about our history.
Interesting information. What present Russia forgets is the massive support from the west that enabled Russian victory in WWII. It is propagated that they did it all by themselves, and they are boasting about loosing more lives than all others, 20 millions, which was largely due to Stalin's recklessness.
Olof History depends upon one’s personal perspective. Through Lend Lease and later, after Pearl Harbor, America provided massive supplies to Russia through Murmansk and the Persian Gulf. One might say that this was in our self interest. From memory I recall that the Russians lost about 20 million (mostly military) persons. By contrast,, I believe that America lost about 320,000 soldiers during the entire war in Europe and the Pacific.
I recall at Teheran that Stalin was pushing FDR/Churchill for a major invasion of Europe. (Normandy occurred on June 6, 1944). We delayed while Russian troops were bearing catastrophic losses. Our military assistance for their massive loss of life.
As for Stalin’s ‘recklessness.’ Stalingrad was the turning point of the war. It was fought building by building. Stalin ordered that any Russian soldier caught leaving the frontlines would be shot. Also, in the race to Berlin, he encouraged two field marshals (Zhukov was one) to move forward with no concern about loss of life. I think the Russians lost about 100,000 soldiers, while Ike kept American troops at a safe distance away from Berlin.
Yes on the need for Americans to focus solely on anti-Putin sentiments instead of people quickly jumping to an anti-Russian bandwagon. Further, Americans should consider our part in getting Putin into power through a series of changes--i.e., Reagan's drive to "end the evil empire"; then the installation of Yeltsin and our role in that election; and subsequently Putin coming into power and his being amenable to the seedier side of capitalism which quickly led to establishing the Russian oligarchs. trump is just another oligarch; and that's why he bonds so well with Putin, some business quid-pro-quo between them. In the end, the common Russian people suffer as they have for so much of history.
Yes, I've read that Herbert Hoover demonstrated great organizational skills. (Must have been enabled by his engineering background.) Unfortunately, when the Great Depression occurred during his presidency, he didn't bother organizing anything to help the American people endure it. He took the laissez faire approach, and things just got worse until Pres. Roosevelt was elected and able to put his relief plan into effect. (I know this info is not new to you.)
Heydon You would be surprised at what dour-faced Herbert Hoover actually did to address the Depression. While he was against massive public employment programs, he initiated some structural programs that FDR, after his 100-day blitz, greatly expanded. The RFC, I recall, provided, for then, a massive amount (without checking my notes—$500 million when the entire federal budget was minimal) for the RFC. Indeed, some economists credit Hoover. With employing more sound economics than FDR is addressing the Depression.
Of course Hoover was zero in charisma and FDR was 100. After the Roosevelt recession in 1937, it took WW II to get us out of massive unemployment.
Keith, with your knowledge of Russian history, I’m wondering if you might have heard about something I recently read about on a Twitter feed: “dedovshchina, which is an extreme form of hazing that new conscripts in the Russian forces are subjected to.” ?
Christy I haven’t heard of ‘devovshchina’ related to hazing of Russian conscripts. It sounds similar to what occurred at Marine training at Quantico, where some of the new recruits died. I read that, at some American fraternities, hazing has led to deaths.
I much preferred the Foreign Service process: extreme written exam after which the survivors (about 10%) faced an oral exam (33% passed). That enabled me to operate alone in rebel-infested Congolese provinces with a M-16 and .45. At times I sort off wished that I had flunked the entrance exam.
"We have enemies within that are as dangerous as Putin, most carrying the cross" Scary, isn't it?
The quote iften used: “Facism will come wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.”
Lisa. No offense intended at all, but, I am sure hoping you are wrong. My son is 22. Plus, depending on what other countries get involved, we might all be getting a little action.
None of it will be romantic, fun, or rewarding like a WWII propaganda movie.
Rather: It will all be a slog of heartbreak, loss and waste.
I have a 22 year old son too - and a 28 year old son and a 26 year old daughter. Thoughts of what this all might mean for them consumes and terrifies me. I’m with you, Mike.
🖤🖤🖤, dear KR.
I agree with you on all of this Mike. Especially the hope that Lisa is wrong about “It won’t be much longer before we too are at war.”
Well said.
Lest you forget, there are people on the left, on this very page who have threatened to do harm or wished bodily harm to another because of the difference of beliefs, they've called them ugly names, questioned another's right to make dissenting comments, even questioned their patriotism, declared them un-American. That behavior, too, begets violence and hatred. It ratchets up the temperature. The door swings both ways. Never forget that.
There are many things that generate fear in the world. Hearing lies and misinformation shouted from televisions, tablets, radios, pulpits adds more fuel to the fire of hatred. Simple solutions, like stripping so called churches of their tax exempt status so they have to function like a normal business would go a long way to help. Clamping down on the outright lies broadcast over our airwaves, would go a long way towards changing the course we're on.
The number of whites in the US is decreasing, that is a fact. And you are right, some white people are very afraid. Perhaps it's because they have historically failed to do the following:
Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
I do not think any of us who have not served in a war/conflict zone have any idea what a war of invasion on US soil will mean for us. We look at photos and videos and feel horror at what what were seeing but we are not, ourselves, sitting on a curb holding the bullet riddled dead body of a loved one in our arms. Our children have not been bombed to death while attending school.
We should hope only for peace. Anything else will be devastating for generations to come.
Hi Lisa. No offense intended. I was referring to the old WWII propaganda movies not your comment which held no romantic content.
It is an old ploy. Say what you mean, knowing you will later apologize or reframe a statement. The satisfied smile is enjoyed in private.
Biden does this a lot I think. Thanks for pointing it out. Biden is all over the media; drowning out Republicans horrific SCOTUS nominee debacle and depriving them of more air time. And honestly at this point trump mews and complains in the far distance.
I love how far from the limelight that guy has been, except for the occasional mention in articles about investigations and indictments
Indeed -“Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out,” tweeted Graham (R-SC).
I want to know why Putin thinks that murdering innocent women and children will restore greatness and glory to Russia. I want to know why Trumpist Putin-loving Republicans think that white nationalist racism will make America great again. I want to see Xi Jinping step up and prove China's greatness by brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Unfortunately, under Xi in 2018, China took a decisive turn toward arrogant, neo-imperialistic thuggishness.
Yes, so true
I so agree with this! I think this could be a great opportunity Xi Jinping to become a statesman on the world stage.
If I were Putin, I'd laugh at that controversial comment of Biden's. It demonstrates our exasperation with how imprecise and slow are all the non-military options in opposing Russian hegemony. If it weren't for the nukes and other WMDs, we'd have taken a far more aggressive posture as the troops gathered on the Russian-Ukrainian border. In spite of the poor performance of his military and the improbable degree of coordination and vigor in the European and American responses, he has called our bluff again and has exposed the limits of our willingness and ability to act in coordination against Russia from a military standpoint. I think he cares far less about western rhetoric than he does about what information reaches the Russian public and how effective the propaganda machine is in deflecting what news from outside does leak through the firewall.
Do you think OUR fake news is any better than THEIR fake news?
My assessment of the habitual mendacity of the mainstream news media, including its deplorable coverage of the situation in Ukraine, together with my inclinication to condemn the genocidal imperialism emanating from Washington, D.C., has been strongly influenced over the past three decades by my reading of Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, which I view as essentially honest, and which is a taboo subject, blacked out of the mainstream news media.
(Ahem, that's my run-on sentence for the day.)
And now, for the first time, the first 29 pages of Budhoo's letter are readily available online. I'll share a few quotes:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic"
----
"The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same -- his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." ~John Swinton (1829–1901)
As previously asked; whom do you distrust the least? So far, we've apparently only identified two parties; the corrupt powerful and the duped masses, except for a few brave dissidents who can see the truth without the benefit of reliable sources of information (and yourself, of course).
We remember Reagan "Tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbachev"
Agree!
Yes, indeed.
This will be remembered as one of Biden’s greatest speeches. Clear, precise, determined, filled with promise and hope, uniting, and unequivocal.
"“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
If you or I say those words, no matter how emphatically, they do not carry any undue weight because we are not in a position of great influence and power; we are not the President of the United States. Every syllable Joe Biden utters regarding Ukraine carries the utmost significance and consequence. In this time of war, for Joe Biden and other world leaders, there can be no verbal gaffes or idle words. None.
This speech was not a gaffe
Exactly. It was very well crafted (as was the 'walkback') and targeted. It was the green light for those opposing forces inside Russia to act.
Also, the subtle message to the financial world. "We'll keep twisting your screws until he is gone."
I clearly believe that it was not a gaffe
I did not get this from your reply. Glad to have read this. Disregard my earlier comment.
Not idle words. A result of witnessing the pain and suffering of those he met with. Joe's heart got in the way, and he spoke those words from his heart.
Pam, I do agree 100%. I only fear that his passion raised Putin's resolve to conquer several notches.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
"... A White House official clarified that “[t]he president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region…. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”
I marvel at the rush of the handlers to walk that back. Putin is a person threatening to use a nation's nuclear arsenal against ANY nation that opposes his invasion of a sovereign nation, who interferes in elections in a number of democracies, who imprisons legitimate opposition and who sends assassins into other sovereign nations to poison those who have opposed or offended him in his quest for absolute power.
Biden's statement is literally correct, and it is spot on.
However, it ultimately begs the world to restore international law so that those who do these things and commit war crimes are removed from power, hauled in front of an international criminal court and their reigns of terror against people and planet brought to an end.
The problem I see is that those handlers are trying to placate the oligarch and party operatives of their own nation and its particularly bad-acting allies who have been behind such actions themselves and made regime change into an art form. They would find themselves facing that court.
Illegal wars and Putin are symptoms of the breakdown of international law at a time when globalization made that more necessary than ever. The United Nations is now proven ineffective in preventing wholesale destruction, and it is headed down the extinction path of the League of Nations. What followed that extinction is something we do not want to repeat.
I read the article you reference and several others yesterday evening. I understand what you're saying and I agree that he was begging for a restoration of international law. IMHO, though, the line was delivered in a place and time where it could be radically interpreted by those aligned with Putin and acted upon in a most gruesome and violent manner. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of retaliation against the US. It frightens the hell out of me.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. We are in a very precarious place.
I am inclined to go with the structured application of the truth, softened by the public softening after-statement. What a person hears first sticks. Qualifications of that statement take more repetitions to modify what was heard first.
“Be careful of the words you speak. You never know which ones you’ll eat.”
Like I said, he knew what he was saying & meant it. Too bad you disagree.
Look at the elephant in the room. Would we risk large scale nuclear war to save the rape of a country with 44 million people? That's the question we are all dancing around. It's time to look deep inside ourselves and make peace with what we truly believe. Would you give your life for a Ukrainian you don't even know, by supporting a no fly zone, or sending well equipped NATO youth (yeah, most of the soldiers are under 30 years old) to fight in WWIII or a nuclear armageddon? That's what keeps me up at night.
Thanks. It was one of my darker moments. Maybe best not to have posted it. I think the intent of this forum is not so much deep philosophy and more present moment awareness. I'll try to keep a muzzle on. LOL
Lisa, I am copying my reply to someone else because it applies here:
I do agree 100%. I only fear that his passion raised Putin's resolve to conquer several notches.
Did I say he was actually conquering anyone? NO. I said it would raise his resolve to conquer. He is not conquering but he is murdering civilians wholesale. He is destroying the infrastructure of a country. Giving Putin rhetorical fuel is like someone banging on a hornet's nestwith a stick then, running away to stand and watcheveryone else get stung from afar.
I'm tired. I don't have the will to argue with you about how you parse my comments unless you actually read and understand the context.
I don't think he needs fuel from anything else to ratchet up his actions
He's at a high level now. If only more of his people would protest. He would listen to that.
I agree; it may not have been the most diplomatic or politic thing to say but it's certainly true and if, along with the rest of his words to the Russian people, it inspires some action on their part, so much the better. There is a great deal to be said for people speaking their minds openly and honestly and, although there might be some flak in the short term, in the long run we'd all be better off for it.
Here's a thoughtful thread about Biden's comment by David Rothkopf, which begins by saying Biden's comment is true.
https://twitter.com/djrothkopf/status/1507879643960983558?t=NX5r9Oto4Zn6_b8XyQgPOw&s=19
Definitely worth reading, FWIW, I agree completely.
Excellent! Thank you for this.
I agree with you.
Agree totally!!
I am with you on that!
Jenny Hawkins, you endorse Joe Biden's support for the anti-democratic far-right terrorist thug regime in Ukraine. How can you sleep at night?
"In January 2018, Azov rolled out its National Druzhina street patrol unit whose members swore personal fealty to Biletsky and pledged to “restore Ukrainian order” to the streets. The Druzhina quickly distinguished itself by carrying out pogroms against the Roma and LGBT organizations and storming a municipal council. Earlier this year, Kiev announced the neo-Nazi unit will be monitoring polls in next month’s presidential election."
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/
I read the Nation article you linked. To summarize, it says there is a small faction of far-right, neo-nazis in Ukraine. Further, it says these neo-nazis have formed paramilitary groups and have some connections in the police and military. Basically, they are describing Ukraine’s version of our own Three Percenters or Proud Boys (you could easily read this article and substitute “Three Percenters” for “Maidan”). Neo-nazi groups like this can be found in every western democracy. These are not mainstream groups. Their existence does not mean that Zelenskiy is a “thug” (a Jewish neo-nazi? really?) or the Ukrainian government is a neo-nazi regime, any more than the existence of the Proud Boys means Biden is a neo-nazi thug. Your hyperbole is breath-taking.
Interesting sidenote - an account @John_Schmeeckle has been suspended by Twitter for behaving like a troll bot, focusing on attacking Ukraine and reposting Russian propaganda, going back well before Putin’s invasion, and linking to numerous articles from Sputnik News (amongst others). The same John Schmeeckle? Who knows.
http://www.vicnims.com/profile/1467773232455598088
Mind you the Nation's article was written in February 2018, and Zelensky was elected in March 2019. JR's comment is spot on.
Replying to JR and Brad Christo:
Zelensky was presiding over the ongoing neo-Nazi atrocities in the Donbass (artillery shelling of civilian targets, like what the Serbs did to the Bosnians), until the Russian invasion made him stop.
Beyond that, the principal supporter behind Zelensky's rise to power was the same Ukrainian oligarch who funded the neo-Nazi Azov battalion:
http://www.stationgossip.com/2022/03/it-all-comes-together-hunter-burisma.html?m=1
Well John, one final comment. I think you are confused or again flipping a projection of facts. The Russian supported separatists in the Donbass, complete with Russian sniper corps and military supplies, was the first act of this Russian aggression.
As to Ukranian oligarch(s) supporting Zelensky, this is laughable. Zelensky won his election with 73% of the vote, and with a platform to fight corruption. You might find supporting right wing conspiracies, as evident of the articles in StationGossip, just that, conspiracies, versus the facts.
I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cubsn missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
Bravo
Many thanks for this reply. I was thinking John was a troll. I can't think the last name is common. I found the post offensive no matter who he is.
Michele, I am who I am, and the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime is what it is, and JR lies easily.
I think of myself as an old-school Democrat in the tradition of my grandmother's fourth cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt.
I do not see the current regime as neo-Nazi. I do understand that there were problems before. What is troubling to me is that you are repeating Russian propaganda. I am an old school D, not related to anyone important except way back and long dead. I was brought up in a Republican state by Republican parents.
The way I see things, there was no real change when Zelensky was brought to power (through the help of a friendly oligarch), although some of the grosser violations probably stopped.
I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cuban missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
JR, Thank you.
Looks that way. His posts are all over the internet. Many of those who believe as he does seem to think everyone else is as gullible as they are but won't admit to being.
Anyone who is on FB should browse this person's page/posts. There are two named J... Shm.... Choose the one who attended Dartmouth College.
My Facebook page is here:
https://m.facebook.com/710547829/
JR, your comment reads like an attempt at Nazi-style disinformation in support of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi thug regime. I will quote from the second and third paragraphs of that article from The Nation, which you pointedly ignore:
"There are neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators.
"These stories of Ukraine’s dark nationalism aren’t coming out of Moscow; they’re being filed by Western media, including US-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE); Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress and the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which issued a joint report warning that Kiev is losing the monopoly on the use of force in the country as far-right gangs operate with impunity."
JR, you come across as a McCarthyist bigot and an apologist for Ukrainian neo-Nazi atrocities. May you please change your tune.
The four year old Nation article described a minority group in Ukraine. Anti-Semitism has always been a factor in Eastern Europe and bears watching, just as it does in the United States. This is probably why the historic emigration of Jews from Europe came mostly from Eastern European countries and not from Germany or France. The Nation article does not justify opposition to today's Ukraine government.
Zelensky was presiding over the ongoing neo-Nazi atrocities in the Donbass (artillery shelling of civilian targets, like what the Serbs did to the Bosnians), until the Russian invasion made him stop.
Beyond that, the principal supporter behind Zelensky's rise to power was the same Ukrainian oligarch who funded the neo-Nazi Azov battalion:
http://www.stationgossip.com/2022/03/it-all-comes-together-hunter-burisma.html?m=1
As others have pointed out, that Nation article (2018) pre-dates Zelenskiy’s election and democratic reforms (which are a work in process, there’s a lot of resistance from oligarchs and right-wingers). The most recent Freedom House analysis of Ukraine calls it a “nation in transition”, with a rating of 39/100 on their freedom scale. Freedom House rates Putin’s Russia as “not free”, with a rating of 19/100. If we are going to call a country a “neo-nazi thug regime” then Putin’s Russia wins hands down. BTW, “may you please change your tune” is an unusual phrasing. не могли бы вы изменить свою мелодию?
https://freedomhouse.org/country/russia/freedom-world/2022
https://freedomhouse.org/country/ukraine/nations-transit/2021
What planet are you on? Not this one, surely. Remember that Stalin may have killed more innocent people than Hitler, but when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Churchill (who had been a life-long anti-Communist) noted that “If Hitler invaded Hell, I should at least make a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.” I war, you often cannot pick your allies.
Troll alert
I think you are misinterpreting Jon's comment. Stalin murdered millions of his own people. Churchill knew that Stalin was pure evil but Stalin chose to align with the Allies against Hitler. For that time Stalin was the lesser of two evils.
I don't understand how you can possibly interpret that comment as trolling.
I'm new here, but is Nancy pointing out to Jon Margolis that John Schmeeckle is a troll?
Oh, indeed, I misread your comment entirely. It stacked incorrectly in my feed I apologized to Nancy.
Yes. It is a common occurrence for some members of this forum to call those they disagree with a troll. Lately, it becomes fashionable for some to accuse others of being unpatriotic or un American. It can be a very testy place, this forum. Gird your loins. And welcome!
Daria, I was responding to the post above Jon's- from John Schmeeckle, and actually agreeing with Jon. Sorry, Jon, I frequently see your comments, and like all of them. I'm well aware of Stalin's tyranny, and know people whose parents and grandparents had been banished by him to Siberia from Lithuania. As you say, at least the monster aligned with the Allies. Otherwise we might all have been exterminated. I doubt that most people here think they need to "gird their loins" where I'm concerned.
Nancy, I'm sorry! Your comment didn't appear in the right sequence then. I actually thought that it was an odd comment for you to make!
About girding ones loins: there is some pretty testy stuff happening here, even today. People are telling others they don't belong here, people are questioning another's patriotism and whether or not they are "true Americans". WTF does that even mean? There is a good measure of meanness going these days. I was mean this morning as well.
For anyone on FB, check out this man's FB page. There are two with this name, select the one who attended Dartmouth.
Judith, I'm not on FB. Anything you are comfortable sharing?
Viewing the posts on his FB page as a whole are useful for understanding where he's coming from. The only *opinion* I can offer is that he loves trees.
I was responding to the post above Jon's- from John Schmeeckle, and actually agreeing with Jon. Sorry, Jon, I frequently see your comments, and like all of them.
Ummm, er, Certainly in a playbook somewhere. Putin’s perhaps?
Dave Dalton, do I perceive the stench of Orwellian McCarthyist bigotry?
Perceive what you choose. Stench comes in many forms
I have no idea what Orwellian McCartyist Bigotry means
Hahahahaha. Perfect, Dave. Neither does he. Troll talk playbook.
These days, anti-Russian bigotry is fashionable. McCarthyism in the 1950s included labeling as "Communist" anyone who sounded socialist, and these days, anyone who criticizes Ukraine gets the "Putin's playbook" treatment. In Orwell's 1984, there was a character named Emmanuel Goldstein, whom everybody was expected to hate. Today in the USA, Putin is made to fill that "enemy image."
It won't surprise me if the Proud Boys, et. al. won't be "monitoring" polls in several states this November either. The fact that Ukraine's short history of independence from the Soviets hasn't qualified them to be acolytes is not a reason to paint them with the same brush as Putin. Our own history suggests that progress in a democracy is no fairy tale; it's more like 2 steps forward, 1 step back, sometimes with decades between steps forward. Intent matters; those who participated in Ukraine's revolution in 2014 demonstrated their intent, which is still playing out today, just as our revolution 230 some-odd years ago is also still playing out today. The West is lining up behind an ideal that was clearly demonstrated and is currently defended at cost of many lives and despite massive destruction by Russia. Focus all you wish on what's imperfect about them, but also acknowledge that the biggest thug in the neighborhood is the one who invaded their country.
The West has re-colonized the South, and the genocidal IMF (based in Washington, D.C.) has enslaved Ukraine. Once again, from Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the IMF:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic"
uhhh...what's your point?
I could say the say the same thing about your blather about the Proud Boys.
I'm sad you didn't get the point...
For anyone on FB, check out this man's FB page. There are two with this name, select the one who attended Dartmouth.
And when Lindsay Graham threatened Putin with hanging? People seem to forget that but let's pick President Biden apart because we hate his fight for Democracy.
My concern is the 2022 elections.
Agree. After all the gaffes from tfg and his supporters I have zero interest in any faux outrage over a from-the-heart and truthful statement by Biden. Biden speaks from his heart-because he has one. Democrats have to stop equivocating and walking back any statement the republicans and the media attempt to frame as controversial. We need to stand together and support each other. This sounds so binary and simplistic but at this point it is and unless we stand together we will lose. And that is a horrifying prospect.
Very well said.
I’m trying to ❤️ your comment but it won’t let me. At any rate I fully agree with what you’ve said. The right wing noise machine is always working overtime these days.
SarahWall73- try refreshing this page by going to the top of this page by clicking on the incomplete circle w/the arrow @ the end of it to the left of the search bar. After that, try clicking the heart-it usually works for a bit.
I am not certain that it is a gaffe even though everyone says it is. I think he wanted that out there. I watched on earlier German news and then later as the German man that is at the White House, and was with Biden in Poland first just said, Biden said this, and he did not have an opinion on it, but he looked upset. In the later news when a different anchor interviewed him he added in that Biden made a big mistake. So, I guess he talked it over with someone and made a decision on how Germany sees this. Full disclosure, I am a duel German and American citizen and my thoughts were, " Biden should have said, for all the European countries who do not want to give up Russian energy sources immediately, how will you feel if Putin drops a nuke on one of your cities right now? Will you then feel it is an immediate priority to give it up?" I say this, because I think that the people who should be worried about Putin getting out his nukes are the other European countries. And as long as they continue to give Putin revenue he has money to pay some people to do his bidding. I just wonder if he personally has the technical know-how to detonate nuclear bombs on his own if no one will do it at his bidding. I am assuming not! That is, the rest of his military knowledge seems to be lacking, so why not this. If it is, then what that means is that someone has to be willing to carry the orders out! Isn't that what we are trying to change?
I agree with you that our European allies are likely the first victims of Putin extremist actions. He doesn't seem to consider nuclear fallout a real danger or health threat as long as he himself is safe. I think creation of a no-fly zone and other escalations will be decisions made by European leaders, not the US, for that reason.
Yes, Tiny Desk Pounding Lindsey; the individual being pushed to the wrong side of history with his own hypocrisies. Disloyal friend, preening sycophant to current power lord, wielder of the impotent “hand chop” tilting at windmills of his own imagination
Challenge his people by asking them what they value and watch them squirm
On a scale of one to ten, Lindsay, how religious are you. I would say you are in negative territory based on your words and behavior.
If people like you won’t get out and fight for democracy this year, then—and only then—you will be right.
Are you ready to give up without a fight? If not, then--not to put too fine a point on it--it wastes time and energy to talk about how powerful the enemy is.
Please, Lisa, do not repeat that defeatist nonsense. We have NOT already lost the 2022 midterms. If you listen to any of the democratic strategists, especially Joe Trippi who has joined the Lincoln Project, there is much to be optimistic about. (1) after thinking the Dems would lose a ton of seats in the House due to redistricting, it looks like we actually will gain a few. (2) the Republicans are on track to nominate real wingnuts in the primaries who could very much lose in the general elections. So don't call the game before the final buzzer.
Agree 100%
Hi Lisa. I have read a number of replies, and frankly I didn’t get my buttons pushed by your position. I have been reading your comments for months, and I respect you and your opinion. I do disagree with you, however, that it’s a foregone conclusion that the Republicans win the midterms. They are in more disarray than I’ve ever seen that party, and they are more clearly and with greater conviction viewed as fascist, pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine, racist, sexist, and homophobic than ever before. I also take into consideration that there was a strong backlash to having Trump reelected. A lot of new voters came out of the woodwork for record-breaking voting totals in 2020. Anyway, it’s speculation, no one really knows, but my gut is leaning 60-40 towards the Democrats keeping their majority in Congress. Of course the Senate is up for grabs again.
I fully agree. There is the proverbial lifetime before the midterms. I hold to the position that an effective weeks-long, televised exposé by the House Committee will send shockwaves through America. Effectively they will be a first draft of history and Americans will be riveted.
The cultists will never be won over. That’s a given. However there are millions of reasonable, sensible Americans who will realize that the government must be purged of rot, and voting in wild-eyed R’s will not serve that purpose. And then there are the Democrats who are going to fight like it’s their last free election.
I am convinced that the rancid, revolutionary Republican movement has about run its course. The KBJ hearings are one more nail in the coffin.
Trump no longer has the grip he once had on America. Slowly he’s becoming more and more irrelevant. We see this from the increasingly serious challenges coming at him from others hoping to assume his mantle. But they are wolves in wolves’ clothing and people on the right are going to be split between those who want to preserve the real thing, and those who want someone new and shiny to articulate their increasingly absurd shows of anger.
Perhaps it is a good thing that the DOJ has been SLOW. A martyred Trump might be dangerous. Although in truth, the sloth like pace of this agency has left me in a mood to tear my hair out all too often.
As far as the Biden “gaffe”, it wasn’t. The White House going into overdrive about it was another example of the mindful nannying behavior that the Democrats have turned into an ugly art form.
It was a simple truth. Look at the state of Ukraine today and consider that this is all because of one man’s war. Of course Putin should not remain in power. What would he have to do beyond the horrors already inflicted to deserve the comment Biden delivered.
Yes, the nuclear threat hovers over us, and if carried out to its extreme the world would be annihilated. So the Americans and NATO have been prudent in their response - prudent but fierce nonetheless.
But what if Russia had slam-dunked on Ukraine in a week? What if they had them gone on to the Moldova, the Baltic States, and/or Poland? There would certainly be conventional war then. In the midst of that, Putin would undoubtedly issue nuclear threats. Would we then try to ‘negotiate’?
Biden’s message was hard-hitting and direct. Putin rarely hears home truths. I cheered it and hated the inevitable tortured cleanup.
Brilliant, Eric. Your comments are always exceptional and brilliantly stated. I agree with every word, and could hardly begin to state it so well.
Gaffe my ass. I’m delighted at all the opinion pieces pushing back against the idea that Biden did anything other than speak for humanity. In my life I am surrounded by kind, gentle people who think always of treating others well. My own wife said weeks ago that Putin needs to be offed. When WOMEN are calling for disposing of someone, that tells you something.
Biden himself was told, by women fleeing the war, that they would strangle Putin.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10655075/amp/Hes-butcher-Biden-slams-Putin-visiting-Ukrainian-refugees.html
I had a professor in college (a very long time ago) who said that his aunt thought that the Philippine Insurrection was the greatest war the US had ever fought--her husband was killed in it. Are you certain that what you hear is not the complaints of people at the supermarket or on the bus, and that it really represents as solid majority even in your state?
Who told you that? The media?
Our challenge is the vote
When voters are restricted and the class action suits begin, autocracy will need to be fully declared. Lets see how many Americans tear up the Constitution
WSJ ........reported an independent registered nurse in Scottsdale stated because of diaper and grocery price increases she will likely vote R. That short sightedness concerns me as I think it indicative of a large number of voters. My hope is the R's have done enough crazy that it will pull in a landslide of new voters and maybe a number of the opposite side to vote dem. Thin thread of hope for certain.
Why do you believe that?
I don't believe they are lost at all. A lot depends on what happens with the majority of Americans who are not MAGA subscribers. The sum total of presidential voters in the last election was about 156 million, suggesting that there are at least another 50-75 million who did not vote. There's lots of ground to plow amongst the electorate. Why not imagine a congress in which moderates in both parties would rather work with one another to accomplish things than with the extremists on either side, then work to see that vision become reality.
Yes, it is unfortunate that the US has a shameful history of *involvement* in regime change that undercuts any insistence that the statement was merely rhetorical.
Get some rest, Heather. As always, your commitment and dedication to keeping us informed is deeply appreciated and valued. I am grateful everyday Trump is not President during this difficult and treacherous time. Biden cares about people and we all know Trump cares about only Trump.
The best four words I ever heard begin this Letter. “Today, President Joe Biden”. Never again President Donald Trump. If chump were in office, Ukraine would have been handed over in a nanosecond with Rupert singing glory hallelujah. And the MSM chiming in. The America first crowd would be learning Russian, a few cult nuts would be deprogramming themselves, and all would be waking up in a world unrecognizable.
Like everyone here I'm sure, I can not imagine where we'd be right now if TFG was president.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
This should not be viewed as a gaffe. Not to be regretted. This is a speech to be proud of - start to finish. Putin did all he could to choose the President of the United States - more than once. For some in our country, that was OK. And stating the obvious is a gaffe? Good grief.
For President Biden to say to the Russian people they are not our enemy and that Putin should not remain in power is a simple statement of fact - one which is consistent with previous statements by Biden and other world leaders: Putin is a murderer. Putin has committed war crimes. Putin continues to slaughter innocent civilians - the elderly and children. He bombs hospitals, schools and shelters with no military presence. He is decimating entire cities. He is about to cause famine across the globe as one of the major producers of wheat can't plant. Many of those that survive will be severely malnourished. And Americans at home will be whining about inflation.
And Putin shouldn't be removed from office? That should have happened long ago. Biden is telling the Russian people the truth about their dictator.
I am beyond weary of the tearing down of Joseph Biden. First he is "too weak and not doing enough". Then he "is too tough" or made a "gaffe". Does anyone disagree with the fact that Putin is a danger to humanity and should be removed from office? Really? This is one man's war. That one man needs to go.
No, this was not a gaffe. This was a message to the Russian people about what their dictator is doing and why they need to find a new leader. Sounds smart to me. Biden speaks the truth. Be proud.
Thx, eloquent. I believe it was strategic
Who in America has the experience to understand our enemies better than Biden? Fiona Hill perhaps? I’m guessing she’s quietly doing a slow hand clap
Bill, thank you!! Agree with your words 100%. “I’m tired of the press/media shredding Biden. It’s exhausting.”
I am. And, he did indeed speak for the Russian people.
Thank you Bill, your writing is spot on. I agree with all you wrote and share your view on Biden’s speech along with your opinion of his supposed gaffe. I too am sick of the constant tear-down of everything said or done by Biden. We should all be thanking our lucky stars that it’s Biden in the White House at this time, and not the previous piece of s**t.
❤️ Perfect! 🙏 Thank you for writing it!
I'm glad to hear that President Biden's remarks are being subtitled in Russian, so that there's at least a chance that his words might reach both Ukrainians and Russians.
Thank you, Dr. Heather. Go to bed! 💜💜💜 Your work is priceless to us.
President Biden said what I have been saying for days, weeks, months, years and even decades, right up to including that Putin has canceled his nation's progress and participation in the 21st Century, and "“For God’s sake this man cannot remain in power.”
I have also said this about our own nation, with statements that Republicans have been killing our potential, taking us backward and that each recent Republican president and many of their elected officials "“For God’s sake [they] cannot remain in power” or even close to power. The same should be said for FOX.
I lay awake at night thinking about what my next letter should say to my Trump loving siblings when everyday practical issues, maintenance and solutions are thwarted by conspiracy theories, lies, misinformation some of which they know, but claim it's for a good cause, just like Putin says it's for a good cause.
Am reading about Maine families sending their sons, fathers and husbands off to fight the Civil War to save the Union. Even women went to tend to the wounded. Some men went to join the Christian Commission to provide religious support to soldiers. They didn't pray for cruel violent victory and domination. They prayed for a quick end to the war and for the injured, suffering and dead. They witnessed heads, arms, legs, hands and feet blow off or cut off in surgery. The witnessed death and dying by illness and disease like typhoid. They drank from mud puddles on the march in hot sun, because they were without water. They wrote home and kept journals. They were Bowdoin and divinity college graduates, lumbermen, fishermen, lawyers, and ministers. They had traveled the world or much of the United States living in Maine to Minnesota to Gettysburg. They had a foundation in and sense of responsibility for democracy that many Americans today seem to be unconscious of.
I have no idea how to reach unconscious Americans. Many of them don't read or talk, let alone deal with anything that doesn't entertain, comfort and protect them from challenging thought and physical sacrifice.
“Unconscious Americans”. How often I have thought such
Heather, you have contextualized this momentous speech with such élan, giving it the extra depth only great historians can impart. Thank you!
The difficult and profound work of democracy must be undertaken by all -- "[m]y country as well” must do the "hard work of democracy." These words can't ring more true! We must prepare ourselves to work even harder to protect our democracy and our freedoms!
'"it’s not enough to speak with rhetorical flourish, of ennobling words of democracy, of freedom, equality, and liberty,' he said. 'All of us…must do the hard work of democracy each and every day. My country as well.' His message 'for all freedom-loving nations,' he said, is that 'we must commit now to be in this fight for the long haul.' In the end, though, 'the darkness that drives autocracy is ultimately no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere.' 'We will have a different future—a brighter future rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and possibilities.'"
GOP radicals take note. Americans who believe in democracy need to get politically engaged. And vote.
Keeping republican legislatures from negating our votes would help. Ye hear that Manchin…
Jeri, there in lies the problem.
A great speech. It will live on. It will outlive Joe Biden. I just hope it does not outlive American democracy.
I listened to Biden’s speech while he was flanked by dignitaries from our NATO nations. It is astounding that our President carries that much weight on his shoulders; that other nations look up to him for guidance. We should be very proud of that and for the fact that he called out the monster by name. MSM can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. They aren’t necessarily in the room, behind closed doors where negotiations are taking place. They are receiving their info from “their sources”. I also liked the fact that Joe spoke about how things in the US need changes. Everyone has been fearful of Putin and his like for many years. Because of the internet, social media, Anonymous’s ability to hack into Russia’s banks and the oligarchs accounts, we are privy to see that little man, Vlad, has been exposed for everything he is, a thief, and a murderer. Good for Joe!! Now get Ms. Griner out of Russia.
#Free Brittney!
"Biden delivers a clarion call for democracy."
Here is the article from Ms. Rubin in WaPo today
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/26/biden-putin-poland-speech-ukraine-democracy/#:~:text=Biden%20delivers%20a%20clarion%20call%20for%20democracy.%20Now%20bring%20it%20home.
I always read Ms. Rubin. She is a gem. If WaPo would only get rid of Olsen, Thiessen and Hewitt, it would improve the paper. I think the level of comments those three trolls invoke keeps them employed. The comments are always enjoyable even if the articles are complete hooey.
I agree with you. For me Olsen, Hewitt and Thiessen always provide the opportunity to cut and paste facts on how Biden is really doing in the polls, the economy and his statesmanship, though. And the comments section is usually a rousing Democratic pep rally.
I contribute more to WaPo comment section than The NY Times comment section. WaPo comment section is much more fun. The Times comment section is too staid sometimes. The monitors can be too strict.
Thiessen is like chalk on a blackboard!
Lol. He is full of it!
Why should it be considered a gaffe to say what the majority of the world thinks? Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world would be better off without Putin in power, just as the US, Europe and most of the remainder of the world is now better off without tfg in the White House. We may as well deal with him from a position of telling the unvarnished truth. The West can still talk to him, still negotiate for cessation of conflict while openly preferring that he no longer be in power. That's different than provoking an escalation of conflict, which is best achieved by allowing fighting to cross a border, including the border back into Russia. It's a farce to suggest that we can supply endless anti-tank weapons without risk of provoking escalation, but 20 fighter planes would cross the invisible line. Putin has clearly demonstrated he can fabricate his own rationale for escalation. Repaint them, fuel them, arm them and leave them out unattended and some Ukrainian pilots can "steal" them from wherever they are parked, for Pete's sake. Let them dribble in one or two at a time. Russia is unabashedly utilizing every tool in their toolbox aside from WMDs, so why pretend that we're just spectators with Bandaids and Tylenol to offer.
The majority of the world?? Perhaps the majority of the English-speaking world, but India and China haven't been following the ridiculous Anglo-American propaganda talking points.
Then again, why would countries led by authoritarians ridicule a fellow authoritarian? I'm not quite sure why you are posting these somewhat outlandish comments. As I understand, only the UK, US, and Canada are English speaking countries of NATO. Leaving just Ireland and the UK as English speaking countries in the EU. This is misinformation, akin to your comments of 'Orwellian-McCarthyist Bigotry". Might you be projecting?
Oops! Just Ireland is English speaking in the EU. Must we even touch the misinformation around Brexit?
Um, I never mentioned NATO or the EU. You seem to have skipped a groove.
Respectively, no missed groove. In the context of the war in Ukraine, "the ridiculous Anglo-American propaganda talking points" is a rather rich statement. I noted NATO and EU for the obvious reasons, which really don't need explanation beyond the obvious war in Europe.
Yet, I do find myself perplexed by your not addressing my first question regarding authoritarians, nor my last suggesting a projection "of Orwellian-McCarthyist Bigotry". This somehow seems an oxymoron to me...seems a rather conflicting label, yes? Then again, maybe there is no explanation.
I already explained my "Orwellian McCarthyist bigotry comment; it's around here somewhere.
Once again, I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cuban missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
Do you believe that China and India are in favor of Putin's sabre rattling? Do you believe they feel more secure when he raises the alert level of his nuclear war assets? I seriously doubt that most countries, whatever their opinion of Democracy, the EU, the US, feel that escalating the threat level for a nuclear conflict is in their best interest.
I do not think that either China or India would embrace what Biden said. I suspect that my view of what really happened is radically different from yours.
I think that Putin really thinks that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO.
Ukraine never kept its promises in the Minsk accords that ended the fighting in 2014, and there has been periodic artillery shelling (comparable to what the Bosnians did to the Serbians, provoking a NATO attack) ever since.
Before Russia attacked, Ukraine was building up troops along the Donbass line of control, apparently preparing to invade. (I remember reading that the IMF insisted that Ukraine re-absorb the breakaway region, so the eastern ethnic Russians could be taxed to help pay the unpayble debt.)
Finally, Ukraine publicly floated the idea of getting nuclear weapons again, just before Russia attacked.
I think it is clear that "democracy" in Ukraine is a sham. It seems clear that both neo-Nazi thugs in the streets and support from the USA were necessary for the 2014 coup/revolution to succeed. The neo-Nazis were put in charge of security, and nobody was punished for the Odessa Barbecue that terrorized the people throughout the country. Two pro-Russia politicians got killed, and nobody was punished.
It seems to me that the American leadership, in the White House and in both parties in both houses of Congress (and fully supported by the mainstream news media) is marching toward a nuclear war that we would probably lose, because of Russia's temporary advantage in military technology.
My assessment is that, if the American leadership remains unreasonably hostile to Putin's seemingly reasonable demands (for example, no re-run of the Cubsn missile crisis), Russia will not hesitate to (for example) declare that sanctions against Russia's banking sector are acts of war and launch a nuclear attack whenever they think it is to their strategic advantage.
Indeed, China and India probably won't publically align with the Euro-American liberal democratic axis, but what they say publicly, think privately, do and don't do all figure into their stance towards Russia. Lets not forget that the 8 year chronic conflict has been occurring on Ukrainian soil, as well as the current war. Let's also not forget whose soil the Chechnya and Georgia actions occurred. It was a short 30 years ago that Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, so it doesn't surprise me that there are elements in Ukraine whose behavior has mimicked that of Russia, but the weight of evidence is clearly on the side of their interest in, and march towards democracy as opposed to autocracy. If we are to be compared to Russia, then we should have long since invaded Cuba, slaughtered many thousands of their citizen non-combatants and installed a puppet government, suppressed local media and political interests and demilitarized the island. We would have invaded and occupied the northernmost section of Mexico and established internal barriers to immigration north. And, we would have heavily suppressed any internal US press that reported on those activities to keep internal opposition as passified as possible. I think the US made huge errors in Iraq and Afganistan which weakened the force of our ideals tremendously and acted as justification for Putin's aggression in the eastern Europe and near-Asian spheres. However, in each case, coalitions of nations participated and our press remained essentially unfettered in its ability to report and opine on those actions. There aren't any purely white hats in this world, but it's not difficult to tell black from white-ish in this episode. Your concept of "losing" a nuclear war is alarming, as there are no winners in a nuclear conflict. Mutually assured destruction assures that everyone loses, including the remainder of the world. Russia is free to establish and offer similar banking systems to any country that wishes to participate. Saying "we don't wish to do business with you anymore" is not an act of war, no matter what Putin says. Had the Russian military stayed in their barracks, the subsequent consequences would have not occurred.
I don't have time to do justice to your reply, with which I have profound disagreements. I will simply obvserve that your assertion that the Americsn press is "essentially unfettered" is absurd on its face.
That's a shame. I fear that you'll be locking your door, closing your curtains and sleeping in a different bed every night now that you've expressed views potentially unfavorable to the current regime. I've lived overseas and experienced different interpretations of American history, and I know that one shouldn't simply absorb and reflect everything one hears on the news. I think the discussion we're having now and the forum on which we are interacting suggests that we have substantial freedom of expression and opinion in this country.
Why fo you say that?
A 38-nation Pew Research Center survey finds more than half in each of the nations polled consider representative democracy a very or somewhat good way to govern their country.
You said “most countries do not like democracies”
I disagree and provided polling to support my position
“Most leaders naturally want more power”
Ah, er, I think that might be an assumption, but in any case, that brings up the Democracy vs Autocracy discussion. An imperfect democracy leads my list
No one questioned Reagan or called out “gaffe,” or stated Reagan was outside his American President lane of responsibility when he called out then Soviet dictator Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” I’m tired of the press/media shredding Biden. It’s exhausting. If legit journalist integrity doesn’t get a backbone soon, it may find itself shot down completely as it is in Russia now.
"Legit journalist integrity"??
My assessment of the habitual mendacity of the mainstream news media, including its deplorable coverage of the situation in Ukraine, together with my inclinication to condemn the genocidal imperialism emanating from Washington, D.C., has been strongly influenced over the past three decades by my reading of Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, which I view as essentially honest, and which is a taboo subject, blacked out of the mainstream news media.
And now, for the first time, the first 29 pages are readily available online. I'll share a few quotes:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
----
"The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same -- his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." ~John Swinton (1829–1901)
I agree with all but your last sentence, which is irresponsible.
And … not sure how my opinion as a trained journalist is “irresponsible,” but hey, whatever.
"For God's sake: this man cannot remain in power." We could say the same about some governors of US states . . . So my question is: now that people are finally paying attention to the wackadoo that is Ginni Thomas, are we going to be able to get rid of the despicable Clarence?
Yes, let's not get distracted by our president's one line and forget about what is happening here in our country. We need a long, hard look at Ginni and Clarence Thomas.
Are we ever going to indict tfg and his criminal cabal? Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached and removed from the SCOTUS. There are so many bad characters and it is frustrating as hell that they are allowed to stay on the "stage". We are governed by a rule of law, we should be using it!
For this, I pray!
I think Biden has risen to new heights in this his greatest challenge while in office amidst many other challenges. His statement about removing Putin from office did in no way imply that he was going to do so- it was a statement that Putin should be removed from office. If anything, his speech reached out to the Russian people. They themselves are victims of Putin's cruel dictatorship. If anyone is going to remove Putin, it will have to be the Russian people themselves. And if they do, Biden has assured them that they can count on American support.
Action speaks louder and $ talks ...
Let us begin by immediately creating the 2nd Global Fund. Let us begin with a Trillion Dollar investment in scalable clean, green renewable energy technologies and the storage solutions that dramatically accelerate the worldwide energy transformation and break the deadly global fossil addiction.
A Squanderable Abundance of Energy is "The" game changer for all of humanity ... the way forward that ends the carnage and needless suffering of global material scarcity.
This is the time, this is the challenge and the opportunity ... this is the gift of these trying times.
Best comment of the day! Now is the time. Europe has finally realized that Russia can't be relied on for energy. The response to an American initiative would have to be greeted with open arms. Thanks for this!
BTW, I saw a great piece by Miles O'Brien last not on the NewsHour about geothermal energy. Wow. Huge potential for completely sustainable electricity - using the skill sets developed in the oil fields! True energy freedom could be around the corner for every nation. And jobs for fossil fuel workers to boot!
Timothy Snyder on Ari Melber the other day said that the time for the world to have gotten off fossil fuels was after 9/11. Democracies cannot stay democracies if they are dependent economically on autocracies .
I go back further to the first Oil Crisis of 1973.
I read that Iceland gets the majority of their energy from geo ... talk about an abundant resource!
Yes, but a lot is right at the surface. Geo thermal is one of the portfolio options that need further interest
Right? Their geothermal is right there for the taking.
Absolutely!
Tom, Iceland's situation is very different from nearly every other place: they live on a geothermal hot spot that is directly available to tap into. The technology is simple. Geothermal has also been used in other areas (including my home state in the NW), and does have a lot of potential, but there are limitations and also risks of contamination of groundwater and soil. It has to be designed and managed carefully.
Yes, Geo is a relatively small part of the solution with many dangers and complexities. This is why we need to begin by creating the Trillion Dollar Global Fund 2. The key concept and opportunity is Global,.
I lived for years near the Larderello geothermal power station in Tuscany. It was the world's first (1911) (not counting the Romans, who also used geothermal power) and I think Wairakei in New Zealand was the next. They are not alone:
https://www.topteny.com/top-10-most-recorded-countries-producing-geothermal-energy/
Geo is almost insignificant. A trillion $ Global Fund is what's needed to change the game.
With solar and wind being cheaper, more accessible, and with much smaller environmental impact, commercial geothermal is the toughest option to pursue at the moment, especially in terms of placing facilities in regions where the rock foundations produce suitable siting
Still in its infancy, but I think viable
I saw that piece also on the NewsHour! It was very encouraging to see the work being done with geothermal energy...and to see the oil industry jumping on the bandwagon...it gave hope...
Geo thermal at scale is expensive but possible. We’d all have to accept the fracking that comes with it though
Dave, geothermal is not tied to fracking. It is like a heat pump that uses heat from the earth. I think perhaps we need to stop thinking of energy primarily in terms of large scale, and think more about a range of small-scale environmentally responsible sources that supplement each other.
There is geo thermal for household heat. Simple but long term payback
Then there is commercial geothermal that creates steam to run turbines to generate electricity. Two different animals
But, as I tried to point out earlier, limited to places that are "hot spots" unless you plan to dig very very deep wells. As a professional hydrogeologist along the arc of my career, I can assure you that that presents some significant challenges. Which is one of the things that led me to the next part of my career. Now I think I'd like to return to the main focus of this forum, rather than get sidetracked into something that definitely does need discussion, but probably not here.
Yes, also less susceptible to big grid cyber attacks!
I'm wondering if the power to run the electrical components- fan etc. is to what he refers.
I need some clarification, please. I have a home geothermal system, 7 wells were dug. Why is fracking necessary large scale? To power electrical plants? Thanks.
There’s a difference between the twenty foot wells dug for residential purposes and the deep well required to provide steam to power plants. Geothermal for heating a house is different than the requirements to spin a turbine for electricity
Hmm... I still don't understand where fracking is an issue. Deeper reach for aquifers may have issues especially with cost, but I'm not understanding where fracking enters the equation. Thanks.
The Geo Thermal systems for steam generation to power turbines go miles deep into rock. Fracking is used to crack the rock to provide the surface area into which fluid is pumped to down into the fractured rock and then returned back to the surface under pressure to drive the turbines. I’ll look for a link
Did HCR treat the last line of President Biden's speech at Royal Castle in the Poland too lightly -- much too lightly?
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
'That last line seemed a logical conclusion to the argument Biden has been making about the struggle between democracy and autocracy, rallying democratic countries to stay unified against Putin as his troops smash Ukraine. But it prompted a flurry of media stories saying Biden had made a gaffe, changing his long-standing insistence that the U.S. is not engaging in regime change but rather is trying to defend Ukraine’s right to exist independently of Russia.' (Letter)
Biden's line a 'gaffe'? “For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.” … 'an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder.
Biden's line was in my opinion far more consequential than a 'gaffe'. Here we are in the midst of Putin seeking to wreak Ukraine and the threat of using nuclear weapons is not idle talk.
I don't think it a mystery how Putin took Biden's line. It came at a time when Putin is suffering a crucial loss to his sense of invincibility, Biden's line was extremely provocative. It is not so much how the media toys with Joe's costly mouthing; it is about what Putin makes of it, and he won't forget.
So everyone is clamoring for President Biden to get tough and when he does everyone runs and hides under the covers. Which is it folks.
Exactly. And too many Democrats and the media play the Tone Card when Democrats bluntly speak truth.
This isn't what friendly folks want or don't want. It is about being smart during wartime. Joe's mouth was out of control. It wasn't the least bit smart. Do you see the administration running away from it to no avail?
Huh? What friendly folk?
Anyway. President Biden was flanked by members of NATO. They obviously chose him to speak for them. He has decades of foreign experience. He has knowledge of behind the scenes information we can't even begin to imagine the content.
I refuse to follow along with the petty press and call this a gaffe. Why pick it apart? I see no good in it except to further wobble support for this President and his mission of shoring up Democracy here and around the world.
He has been hailed by NATO allies. But back in America we continue to pick pick pick.
I very much dislike how the word “gaffe” has now and forever been associated with Biden’s speaking, driven by the media’s characterization of him. If we disagree with what he said (which, to be fair, is what most like-minded people think), call it something else, but not a gaffe, or you cement thinking of him like this. Was it a mistake to say what he said? I don’t know, probably. But maybe we could talk about it using a different word.
So agree, KR!! Stop with Biden’s “gaffes” already!
!!! Agree
Indeed, Biden, the quintessential Deep State swamp creature,, has "knowledge behind the scenes"; he knows where a lot of bodies are buried. And regarding "information we can't even begin to imagine the content," please read on:
My assessment of the habitual mendacity of the mainstream news media, including its deplorable coverage of the situation in Ukraine, together with my inclinication to condemn the genocidal imperialism emanating from Washington, D.C., has been strongly influenced over the past three decades by my reading of Davison Budhoo's 100-page resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, which I view as essentially honest, and which is a taboo subject, blacked out of the mainstream news media.
And now, for the first time, the first 29 pages are readily available online. I'll share a few quotes:
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. Mr. Camdessus, the blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers."
"The charges that I make are not light charges - they are charges that touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishing and maintaining international economic order and global efficiency."
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance."
"In guilt and self-realization of my own worthlessness as a human being, what I would like to do most of all is to so propel myself that I can get the man-in-the-street of North and South and East and West and First and Second and Third and Fourth and All Other Worlds to take an interest in what is happening to his single planet, his single habitat, because our institution was allowed to evolve in a particular way in late twentieth century international society, and allowed to become the supra-national authority that controls the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people everywhere."
"We get away with our works of Dracula hiding behind the mask of Superior Technocracy and a Greater Wisdom striving for “financial balance” and “structural adjustment” in the Third World."
"And so it goes on and on and on. And nothing changes in the developing world except more death and destitution for the people in the slums, and more power for the Fund. And with the passing of every meeting our staff becomes even more reinvigorated; they wield a sharper and more bloodied tool; an even more terrifying Executor’s Axe stand poised for service everywhere in the South. And the children scream, Sir; my God, how they scream!"
(Budhoo is referring here to the incessant screaming of starving infants. When they stop screaming, you know that death is near.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
----
"The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same -- his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." ~John Swinton (1829–1901)
copy, paste, repeat...
Barbara, in recent months you have attacked subscribers who differed with President Biden and or criticized our country. While in the past you were associated with causes that opposed actions by the U.S. government -- not now. You have written comments indicating that at this time you found such 'negativity' almost unpatriotic. I think your position is undemocratic. It is as though you are on a mission to quell dissent. We cannot all be fans as you have become. As much as I am grateful that Biden is our president and impressed by his efforts to improve the lives of many, he is not infallible. Joe Biden is not king. I shall break your rule to say at best, I think you have been overbearing in your zeal.
An old saying I've often heard: when you point your finger at someone in judgement, keep in mind that your other fingers are pointing back toward yourself. A country way of saying projection, and you might think about that, Fern.
While your posts are generally intelligently written, they are not necessarily insightful or deep, and too often get stuck on inconsequential details or simply arguing about who is right, keeping the focus on you and how intelligent you are compared to others. It's tiresome.
Annie, You make it your business to judge people and obviously have a high opinion of your talent or wouldn't feel up to doing it so often. Being on the forum affords you plenty of subjects. You're in the right place Annie, and not pleasant, while you're at it. Salud.
Perhaps you might also need to take issue with all the folks who agree with my posts.
Barbara, Shall I decide that or will you?
Fern, I rarely disagree with you. But I believe Joe Biden said what needed to be said. Everything Biden does to oppose this genocide will anger Putin. Biden is showing leadership. Perhaps if Putin dares to show up at the G20, all the leaders from democracies will turn their backs on him or simply exit the room if he enters.
There is little hope for diplomacy now. There is only carefully applied strength. There are signs that it is working.
It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Russian people to see their leader dissed on the largest international stage. Putin is a pariah and his people should see that.
Actually, have any of us in America learned that you cannot reason with power narcissists? They are incapable of diplomacy, on most levels.
Some of us are learning this, slowly and painfully.
Hear hear!
Good grief, Fern. What is this really all about? Making overmuch of something that isn't all that important. The scales simply do not balance on the amount of energy being put into it. For what? To come out on top? Can we stop this, please?
It's about piling on. One faction piles on another. You must be able to recognize that by now as its become quite a popular sport on this page. And we all play the game here, n'est pas?
Sorry Fern Russians do not get kid gloves.. AND you are right Putin has been out of CONTROL for quite a FEW years......
I don't know how you came to believe I was referring at all to the Russians or suggesting the use of 'kid gloves'. My point is Putin was getting very negative marks and that it was not 'smart', of Biden calling negative attention to himself when the enemy is under klieg lights. The question and answer that I raised is how to speak strategically during wartime and not run your mouth
We are talking about PUTIN so get off the negative remarks.....
Rjs, You referred to Russians. What 'negative' remarks are you talking about? I found fault with Biden's unwise adlib, you disagree. That is fine with me. What are you complaining about?
Hello Fern! I do not think the last line of Biden's speech in Poland changed much of anything. Despite a failing military campaign with egregious losses, the Russians are not serious about a diplomatic solution. To them, Ukraine seems to be Chechnya on a larger scale.
Also, I would be totally gobsmacked if Putin has not assumed that the US/EU have wanted him out for the past 22 years. The invasion of Ukraine, the subjugation of Chechnya, the partial take over of Georgia, are all really aimed at preventing regime change in Russia. Did Biden foolishly touch a sore spot by saying Putin must go? Yes. Will those 9 words change the trajectory of what is happening in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe? No.
Vladimir Putin worries a lot more about his own people than what Joe Biden says or does. He sits in deep paranoia at the end of an endlessly long table, attends banquets but does not eat, drink, or touch anything. You think this man worries about us here in the US? Maybe, but his deepest fear is that Russians figure out who he really is, the Kleptocrat in Chief, the liar, the manipulator, the guy who doesn't care one whit about whether any other Russians live or die. His time will come, and it won't be pretty!
Do you dismiss the motive of revenge? At a time when Putin is mad out of mind because of the military embarrassment in Ukraine, when word of the war is getting out to some Russians and his country's economy is being shut down -- when he seems less invincible -- Joe's mouth gets out of control. Do you ignore the Putin - Trump alliance; Russian's ways on social media; the midterms... do you think Putin's natural instincts have been calmed or excited? On this one Steve, we are not aligned. Have you noticed how fast the administration is running away from it -- to no avail? Biden may have adlibbed, but this is no gaffe; it was lack of control at a price. Let Putin's mistakes fester without bringing negative attention to yourself, Mr. President.
Hi Fern. Putin has done far more damage to Putin than a sentence uttered by Joe Biden ever could. Putin's "natural instincts" have been excited for months. The Russian economy is being dismantled by sanctions. Their military has proven to be a very rusty tiger. The upper and middle management of Russian bureaucracy is made up, by intention, of not very talented people. Once the Russian stock market reopened, the Chinese started to not-so-quietly buy up Russian companies at bargain prices. This is public knowledge. The myth of Putin's "invincibility" has been exposed for lo these many weeks. As for revenge, what, really, can Putin do that is not already in motion? Nukes? Yes, that is why diplomacy is the only realistic way out of this mess. Did Biden's "Putin must go" remark make that more difficult? Yes. Insurmountable? No. Putin already has an unchewable mouthful. Biden's distraction from that fact really does not change anything.
Hi Steve. I appreciate this opportunity for us to elaborate on different points of view. I am sorry that Biden moved the klieg lights that were on Putin to himself. I also think that Biden provided 'them' with propaganda. Biden's line will have no effect on regime change. As I've written Biden diverted attention at a time. He should not be the subject now. In the ways I have suggested, his line did move the needle. It is possible to incite a wild animal to feed the monster's appetite. I cannot join you, Steve, with conclusion nothing happened. I wish it hadn't happened. You did in this comment move a little closer to 'something did happen'. I'm smiling, because we are two of friendliest with different points of view.
Hang in there Fern. I don't like disagreeing with you because you are brilliant. We'll see where and how far the needle moves in the coming days. The world is in a very reactive and distractable place right now. I never thought Biden's remark was nothing, I just don't think it is a game changer.
Steve, I will always 'hang in there', with you. I wasn't joking when I wrote that I appreciated the opportunity to elaborate on our differences of opinion. Most arguments, unfortunately, aren't as friendly as ours. Big smile.
I agree that though his last remark is what most of us are feeling, President Biden saying it took attention away from the body of this speech that was both brilliant and historical. It will be up to the MSM to pull back from the attention they are giving it. The MSM already put trump in office with the unbelievable amount of free press he was afforded. You’d think they’d have learned their lesson that ratings are not worth losing our democracy or inflaming an embarrassed tyrant. Is this me being naive?
Sharon, I wouldn't put this on MSM. I've already seen very qualified people expressing their concern about the line and Biden owns it. Not a 'gaffe' from my point of view but a strategic error of note. I don't think that it can be missed or dismissed. We don't know the consequences, but I'd say the line was regrettable.
I suspect it has not been much of an "embarrassment" for Putin: That is western propaganda spin. Russia's principal initual goal has been to degrade Ukraine's military capability, especially of the Ukrainian right-wing neo-Nazi military formations, and most especially in the Donbass area.
Russia has refrained from wholesale assaults on Jkrainian cities, with the significant exception of Maruipol, where the so-called Azov battalion (regiment) has a fanatic attachment, and where these neo-Nazis have been holding the civilian population hostage.
Oh, are we a minority, Lisa! I don't know if it has anything to do with being in recovery from the former president, but many subscribers seem to me to be oversensitive to any fault found with Biden. It may also have to do with the weakness of democracy in the USA. Do you think, paradoxically, that there is an undemocratic flavor to it? I don't mind being in the minority as it isn't a new experience me. Understandably, it feels good to hear Biden talk tough and express what the people themselves (including me) feel about Putin. It is one thing to have your feelings ratified by the president and for the world to hear but another to speak strategically in war time -- why inflame the enemy when his failure in Ukraine is burning bright under klieg lights. Why take any of that negative attention away from Putin?. My uneasiness is the reluctance of quite a few to even consider that perspective.
I hate to jump in here, but I think it’s more a wartime mentality that any harsh criticism of “our” side provides ammunition to the other side, be that our own home-grown autocratic, anti-democracy Republicans, or Putin and Russia. As I said in another comment, I don’t know if what Biden said was a mistake or not. None of us can truly know that, at least not yet. I think it likely that we’re all at least partly right - the comment can both provide ammunition to Putin and reflect western thinking and not matter very much at the same time. And I completely agree with you that we must support people’s right to make these criticisms. I defend your right to do so, but the fear of weakening our own position by doing so is, I think, not entirely misplaced. Thank goodness we still live somewhere where this kind of political discourse is possible.
KR, I appreciate your thoughtful weighing of our various responses. Thank you. (The second heart is a result of me not being about to open the first.)
KR, thank you.
❤️ KR, I appreciate your thoughtful weighing of our various responses. Thank you.
Trap? Explain
He knew precisely what he was saying. And Biden delivered the line with conviction.
Hi Charlie, Did anyone suggest that Biden didn't know what he was saying or that he lacked conviction? The line was not a 'gaffe' in my opinion and wrote so a few times, I don't understand why you addressed your statement to me, Charlie. What was your point?
Agree, Fern. As powerful a speech as it was, that last line plays right into Putin's hands.
Yes, Laura. My mind has centered on what Putin will do with that line of Biden's so has almost everyone else.
'How Biden sparked a global uproar with nine ad-libbed words about Putin'
'By declaring that the Russian leader ‘cannot remain in power,’ the U.S. president seemed to suggest a drastic change in U.S. policy — prompting a scramble by White House officials.'
“The words of a president matter,” he said more than once. “They can move markets. They can send our brave men and women to war. They can bring peace.”
'They can also, as Biden discovered on Saturday, spark a global uproar in the middle of a war.'
'With nine ad-libbed words at the end of a 27-minute speech, Biden created an unwanted distraction to his otherwise forceful remarks by calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be pushed out of office.'
“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.'
'Shortly after the speech, a White House official sought to clarify the comments.
“The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia or regime change,” the official said.'
“The speech was quite remarkable,” said Aaron David Miller, a veteran diplomat and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “This is one of those speeches where the one-liner in many ways drowns out the intent of the speech. Because that’s exactly what people are focusing on.”
“What it tells me, and worries me, is that the top team is not thinking about plausible war termination,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of the book “The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint.”
“If they were, Biden’s head wouldn’t be in a place where he’s saying, ‘Putin must go.’ The only way to get to war termination is to negotiate with this guy,” O’Hanlon said.' (Washington Post) See link below.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/27/russia-ukraine-war-news-putin-live-updates/
Fern, could it be that Bidens comment was a nod to the Russian people to remove Putin from power? Therefore ending the war.
Putin has blocked their access to practically everything. I also don't know if most Russians would be incensed by what Biden said.
Fern, I happen to nudge towards your angle on this. Biden has a history of gaffes. This line plays into our historic knowledge of “Uncle Joe”. I believe it opened a Hugh front to divert attention from the crisis to the MSM entertainment/outrage machine. By saying such a consequential line, at such a pivotal moment in the war, it emboldens all the conspiracists - Putin included- to claim that America has only wanted regime change. And our history with “regime-change” blunders feeds this. It’s a remark that will vibrate a force to split Americans further, and most unfortunately, endanger the fragile solidarity of NATO. All the while Zelensky is passionately criticizing NATO for eloquent words but no muscled effectual help.
Michele, You extended the understanding of how Biden's line interrupted very significant business. I never considered his mouthing this time a 'gaffe' because in my opinion it was more consequential than that. During wartime, to incite the enemy and provide propaganda -- not made up stuff -- but right out there for the world to see -- that is a strategic mistake written large. You pointed to our history of 'regime change'. We're an easy mark on that score. I don't know that it will split NATO, but it is definitely cause for concern. I think TC frequently says, 'It's not easy.' Is it not!
Just want to thank Fern, et al, for the above discussion. I came in late to the thread this Sunday so I am just now getting into it. This back and forth keeps us from being a bubbly echo chamber!!!
I think that you have expressed the democratic spirit, Carol, in favor of robust exchange and a search for the truth. That isn't so easy -- plenty of shades in the mix. This is a very difficult time as we work together in the midst of a tragic, uncalled for war and a wobbly democracy at home. No matter - when I think of the Ukrainian people, I feel good as they have shown us strength as well as sorrow. Too many bad actors around and many more good ones, including the subscribers on the forum. Cheers, Carol, on we go.🌈🌻❤️
Heather Cox Richardson and others may want to consider President Biden's recent speech as a calculated response to President Putin's speech of Feb. 23:
https://sputniknews.com/20220224/putin-authorizes-special-operation-in-donbass-1093318890.html
Thank you Heather.
Personally, I believe this was one of Biden's best speeches ever. There was no controversy, it was to the point addressing a blistering fact that Russia chose to invade Ukraine. This invasion is the definition of unmitigated provocation and destruction by Russia. Biden drove that point home.
I can't express how very pleased I am that Biden did not blame the people of Russia. When I was in our local Ukrainian store yesterday, the owner was addressing a person that said, "I don't want to buy anything from Russia". He very calmly said, "the Russian people did not do this, Putin did. Please show your displeasure to Putin, the Russian people are good people". As I stood in line to pay for my items, I thought how incredible this store owners resilience is. I know his family in Ukraine has lost everything.
A point I do keep in mind as I am fortunate enough to be able to get in my car, drive to my home and sleep in a warm bed at night. Those facts are not lost on me.
Be safe. Be well.
Lucky for us that Trump and his kids aren't ruling our country at this fraught time. He and Pompeo would have, in their admiration for Putin and his autocracy, not supported Ukraine and not helped rally opposition to the invasion. I really hope that many, many Americans recall this in the 2024 national election cycle.
Especially since Zelensky didn’t help him in the quid pro quo.
“For God’s sake,” he said, “this man cannot remain in power.”
And right there is where Biden demonstrated he is 99% of what we need, and that the old saying "99 percent's a bitch and 100 percent is a breeze" is so true.
As much as everyone who heard him say that might agree with him (I do), that's not something someone "playing the game" does at his level, not the afternoon of the day in which the morning began with the Russian Defense Ministry announcing they would use nuclear weapons if "the existence of the state were threatened." We are dealing with a guy who has said he can't imagine living in a world in which "Russia does not have its proper place," a guy who thinks that proper place is leading the Empire of Eurasia, which stretches "from Dublin to Vladivostok" in the world of his crazy political philosopher Dugin, a guy who subscribes to Louis XIV and "l'etat c'est moi."
That damn Irish temper is something someone in Biden's position should have learned to control a helluva long time ago, given the years of political experience he has. You believe it in your heart and then you keep it there, by biting your tongue, hard enough to draw blood if need be, before you let it out. That was just plain Bog Irish Ignorant.
Napoleon said it best: "Never interrupt an enemy who is defeating himself." Putin's generals have managed to convince him they've lost, and they're working on an "off-ramp" by saying "Yeah, we only wanted to knock down Kyiv so we'd distract the Ukrainians while we finished taking Donbas." (Anyone who believes that is probably looking forward to their gift from the Easter Bunny, delivered on the morning the sun rises in the west.) You don't give the grandson of Stalin's cook a reason to get angry all over again.
This is why Biden is as good as we can get in the circumstances and a helluva lot better than the alternative, but I hope to hell one member of his staff can say to him, privately, never publicly, "Mr. President. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. It's better to be thought an idiot than to open one's mouth and prove it." This is Unforced Stupidity.
Putin already has enough to be angry about. His adventure is a mess. He is now considered a monster by many of his own people - and many, many more will feel the same as the truth penetrates Russia. Putin is already on a revenge tour. He doesn't respond to diplomacy. He only understands strength.
Putin is stumbling badly. He is already angry beyond imagination. He is failing. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure - not back down.
Biden is saying something to the Russians. Your leader is a murderer. Get rid of him. I don't see his statement as a gaffe - it is virtually required of anyone with a conscience.
And as far as statements go, this is a nothing burger compared to the world shattering inanities of TFG. Personally, I am proud of Biden's "Irish" frankness.
Now is NOT the time to rachet up pressure. Were you to read anyone from Sun Tzu to Clausewitz, you would know that you ALWAYS have to leave the opponent an avenue of retreat.
Interesting take. Perhaps this trait is why Obama cautioned him about pursing his dream to be President. My thought was he could have closed with a variation of the line with which he opened: "We are united and not afraid."
Absolutely right on both points.
Bingo! "Napoleon said it best: "'Never interrupt an enemy who is defeating himself.'"
My eyebrows went up and eyes widened when Biden said his now infamous line. Simultaneously, I thought that is bold but cringed at how it was going to resonate. Now, that is all that is being talked about-the MSM has jumped right in making it front and center 24/7. In general, I think the president has been "running the gauntlet" reasonably well in this high stakes disaster. However, the regime change line is a "rookie mistake" and plays directly into Putin's hand - a card that did not need to be played. We blinked.
Yes. This morning, much of the follow-up to President Biden's speech underscores your points, TC. Today Dana Bash of CNN said that President Biden's "cannot remain in power" comments are raising eyebrows; this was said at the beginning of her coverage of the President's speech. The otherwise inspiring words of the President are now in the very long shadow cast by ad libbing, no matter how well intentioned. An associated corollary to TC's comments...from the world of many years of presentation skills training:
Be very clear about intended results of a speech/presentation. Say nothing not aligned with the "call to action"/intended results.
Absolutely right!
"call to action/intended results" - certainly you are referring to TFG's statements before and after the Insurrection of January 6th.
Biden simply expressed what all civilized people who believe in democracy, the rule of international laws, national boundaries, and basic decency feel. Intended results? Yes.
Putin DOES have to go. And the Russians will see to it sooner or later.
What Biden said pales in comparison to what Putin has done to foment "regime change" in the US. I am proud that Biden spoke up. Putin belongs in a cell. Everyone knows it.
If you're proud that he said that, then you're one of the morons Mencken had in mind when he said nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
Re: last paragraph
A good rule of thumb when disciplining children, too. They will see the disconnect every time.
And in case anyone missed it, Story One on Jonathan Capehart's show this morning was this one, with footage of Blinken running to the mics as soon as he could get off AF1 to say "Oh no! The president wasn't talking about regime change!"
What a fucking choice: a (well-meaning) Idiot or a Traitor.