After four weeks of watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine go sideways and after Putin has decimated whole Ukrainian cities, my worst fears are coming into focus, as I had predicted all along: The West is standing on the sidelines wringing their hands. To be sure, America, NATO, the EU, and other Allied nations have been levying the harshest sanctions ever seen on Russia. Indeed, they are sending in weaponry to help support Ukraine’s defense. All of this is true enough, but given what everyone — except Russians — sees on TV or on a laptop, it’s become evident that the West is perfectly willing to sit on the sidelines wringing their hands. Entire cities are being razed, and the most the West can do is watch and admonish Putin. We are precisely in the pusillanimous position I knew the West would eventually settle into; I just f***ing knew it. As I have said many times before, Putin invaded primarily because he thought the West would let him get away with taking Ukraine, and, at this point, there has not been enough pushback from the West to convince him otherwise. While the war seems not to have progressed as initially envisioned, Putin is adjusting. I think he believes that if he can’t have Ukraine, then no one can, so he’s willing to lay waste to the entire country, and the West will let him do it because the West is f***ing weak. Now is the time if there is ever a reason for the West to step out of their NATO boundaries. Putin will never learn until the West punches back, but dare I say they never will. Oh, well. And we wonder why authoritarian nations are on the ascent in the world.
Author: admin
While there may be some value to the Ukrainian military obtained from Russian prisoners of war, I hope Ukraine has learned lessons from history; do not keep Russian prisoners of war alive and do not take prisoners in the first place. They are a drain on already strained Ukrainian resources, and any limited, ephemeral intelligence and propaganda value they derive from their captives cannot balance keeping and feeding them. While allowing Russian prisoners to literally phone home is a quaint propaganda tactic, I say it is better that the mothers and fathers of these soldiers should be left with the empty feeling of their sons having vanished in the war, especially since the Russian military has no interest in making sure their troops killed on the battlefield are repatriated back to their families. The greater value is that more Russian soldiers disappear in Ukraine, leaving a hole in Russians’ hearts.
Moreover, every Ukraine fighter’s primary — only — goal is to kill as many Russian soldiers as possible. Not to capture them. Not to allow them to retreat. Not to trade them. Their only directive should be to kill, kill, kill. I promise you that any Russian soldier allowed to escape or be released will be one more soldier who comes back to kill Ukrainian women, children, and the elderly. There is no such thing as mercy in war. War is merciless — a value Russia consistently dispenses, yet the West constantly eschews. War is the definition of kill or be killed. So, Russian P.O.W.s are out of the question. Take these Russian pawns off the chessboard once and for all. I wish I could say that I’m sorry for being so callous, but let’s face it — war is not for the weak. Any notion of chivalry in war is a fantasy. Russia is waging total war. Ukraine needs to respond in kind! I’m sure there are some Geneva Convention rules and such non-sense about soldiers who surrender. I’m not saying Ukraine should commit war crimes — I guess — but let’s just say Ukrainians should be in the mindset of fighting to the death — of every Russian invader. There should be no such thing as a surrendering Russian soldier.
Reporting from CNN, “A federal judge said Friday that former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis violated two same-sex couples’ constitutional rights when she refused to marry them while in office in 2015. In court documents filed Friday, US District Judge David Bunning dismissed Davis’ motion for summary judgment in civil suits brought against her by two same-sex couples to whom she had refused to grant marriage licenses. … The issues now before the jury are how much the plaintiffs will get in compensatory damages and whether or not they should be awarded punitive damages, Gartland told CNN. … Liberty Counsel, the conservative legal group representing Davis, said in a statement that they ‘will continue to argue that she is not liable for damages because she was entitled to a religious accommodation (which Governor [Matt] Bevin and the legislature granted),’ adding that the case could be heading for the US Supreme Court.”
Watch out for this sleeper case! You’re G.D. right, this is going to SCOTUS, and this is just the type of case the conservative theocratic justices have been looking for to reverse gay marriage. Mark my words, f***tards! Look! The conservative justices don’t have to wait for the perfect anti-LGBTQ rights case to come before them to act. They merely need a case that remotely touches on the subject. Not sure how aware you people might be about the machinations of the High Court, but it is pretty much a free for all. They can agree to hear a case, and then they can judge it on the particular merits that lead it from the trial courts to the appellate courts to the Supreme Court, or they can take the same case and use it to restrict or expand the merits of the case or a broader issue. It is quite conceivable they will grant certiorari for this case. Instead of deciding on the narrow question if Davis has a First Amendment right not to perform her civic duty by denying a marriage license to same-sex couples, they can expand the question to whether same-sex marriage is a constitutionally protected right at all. They can decide to answer another question of a case from the one initially before the Court. In short, justices could hear arguments about ABC and then decide to rule on ABC and XYZ. They’ve done it before. The supermajority conservatives justices simply need a case that gets them a foot in the door to reverse gay marriage and roll back LGBTQ rights. And don’t think stare decisis is going to protect Obergefell v. Hodges. Roe v. Wade is about to go, and that is a 50-year-old case. The ink has yet to dry on Obergefell compared to Roe.
Senator Cornyn’s questioning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson over gay marriage says it all. RepubliKKKlans are laser-focused on rolling back LGBTQ rights because in their minds protecting the rights of the minority from the bigotry of the majority is not only unimportant but contrary to the founding of the nation. No f***ing person or government authority forces straight cis men or women to marry each other. You know, these people — conservatives — used to make the same arguments about enslaved people and Blacks, particularly white people and black people, could not marry each other (see Loving v. Virginia, which they’ll be coming for soon enough). Still, through the wisdom of the ages, the courts decided that people cannot be discriminated against for their immutable characteristics (e.g., skin color or gender). We have yet to add sexual orientation to the list, and RepubliKKKlans will ensure it never is. In the meantime, they are coming for gay rights. Mark my words, morons. Mark them well!
I have been saying for years now that they are coming for your rights next! Mark my words, f***tards! “Where the law ends, tyranny begins!” SCOTUS is about to undo their own rule of law — again! They are uninterested in protecting minorities against the bigotry of the majority. Thus, they encourage tyranny. Welcome to stupid America!
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SCOTUS Has No Ethics — Literally
From The Hill, “The revelation this week that Virginia ‘Ginni’ Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, attended the pro-Trump ‘Stop the Steal’ rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol has renewed questions about Justice Thomas’s impartiality. Critics say the new detail is just the latest example of Ginni’s political activity posing an ethically troubling overlap with her husband’s judicial position. … But according to Gabe Roth, executive director of the left-leaning court-reform advocacy group Fix The Court, it would be fair to say that ‘a reasonable person might question Justice Thomas’s impartiality’ given what he described as a years-long pattern.”
The Code of Conduct for United States Judges preamble reads: “The Code of Conduct for United States Judges includes the ethical canons that apply to federal judges and provides guidance on their performance of official duties and engagement in a variety of outside activities.” And it goes on to say, “This Code applies to United States circuit judges, district judges, Court of International Trade judges, Court of Federal Claims judges, bankruptcy judges, and magistrate judges. Certain provisions of this Code apply to special masters and commissioners as indicated in the ‘Compliance’ section. The Tax Court, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces have adopted this Code.” What branch of the judiciary is missing from the list? Anyone? Anyone at all? Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to which branch of the judiciary exempts itself from a delineated set of ethics?
So, this is where we are in America. The highest court in the country, the literal final word on the laws of the land, and they can be as corrupt as they please before, during, and after they render any number of decisions that impact every person in America. I expected nothing less, and people wonder why SCOTUS is losing credibility and why Americans are losing faith in national institutions. Does anyone really believe that the newly minted super-conservative, super-majority SCOTUS will act ethically? The conservatives have already proved themselves unethical, and these are the people who will be re-writing the country’s laws to hurt minorities, not protect them. Fan-f***ing-tastic! I can’t wait for the corruptable and, indeed, already corrupted SCOTUS to start handing down opinions that strip people of their rights — or fails to protect them — as they sit in their ivory tower unbound by any ethical code and entirely accountable to no one, except, as it increasingly appears to be the case, beholden to conservative causes and theocratic dogma. This is what a dying country looks like! Oh, well. No one cares. I live in stupid hell. Welcome to stupid America!
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Chauncey DeVega Strikes Again
Once again, I am compelled to share a piece by Chauncey DeVega in Salon because the man is brilliant! I have said it many times in previous posts, and it seems he unfailingly reaffirms my high opinion of him with each new article. I swear he pulls thoughts right out of my head, but he is much more eloquent in his delivery, while I allow my id to write for me.
And once again, I am forced to quote from his article, “Don’t be fooled: The GOP love affair with Putin is worse than it looks,” at length because so much he says is absolutely spot-on. He writes, “Never mind the opinion polls and the Republican posturing. When the right sees Putin, they want what he’s got. … America is a pathocracy. The masses take their cues from corrupted elites. Malignant normality is the new normal. Political deviance has been normalized. The Age of Trump constantly offers further proof that a sick and broken society can accept just about anything, no matter how surreal and grotesque. Fascism thrives in such societies. But the poison could not have spread so quickly if the soil and foundations were not toxic to begin with. … The American people and the world should also not be seduced by superficial public opinion polls that purport to show that Republican voters are now vigorously anti-Putin and do not support his war against Ukraine. Today’s Republican voters and other Trumpists are part of a political cult. They follow, uncritically, whatever directives and various signals are sent to them by Donald Trump, Fox News, the white right-wing evangelical churches and the larger right-wing echo chamber. Public opinion polls taken before the invasion of Ukraine show that Republicans view Vladimir Putin as a better leader than Joe Biden. … Putin is an authoritarian and a demagogue. He is anti-human, anti-freedom and anti-democracy. He stands against the future and human progress and pluralism. To many of his admirers in America and the West, he is a leader of ‘White Christianity.’ Putin has persecuted and imperiled the LGBTQ community, and is hostile to women’s rights and women’s equality. He kills and imprisons journalists, and is doing his best to silence free speech. … The American people have been repeatedly warned about the dangers represented by the Republican fascists and the Trump movement. The past is prologue — but it does not have to be. The American people can choose to learn the lessons of the past about how democracies succumb to fascism and authoritarianism and act accordingly, or they can continue to insist, against all available evidence, that such evils only bloom elsewhere and cannot possibly happen here. But democracy must be an active choice. Indifference and passivity are sure to destroy it. What choice will the American people make?”
Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! He says it all, so I will not comment, except to answer his closing question: What choice will the American people make? Probably not all that surprising to some, I think America will, naturally, make all the wrong choices because Americans are just too f***ing G.D. stupid. I think we are too far down the road to losing our democracy for countless reasons I’ve laid out in other posts. Still, in a nutshell, the RepubliKKKlan Party has won the trifecta: Super-majority on SCOTUS, RepubliKKKlan control in most state legislatures, and redistricting. Thus, RepubliKKKlans have the means through state legislatures to write laws that suppress voters (and citizens more generally) and create RepubliKKKlan controlled districts that give them permanent political control, with all their machinations protected by SCOTUS. Once they take over the U.S. Congress and the White House, then the end of American democracy will be sealed, replaced with a mixture of autocracy and theocracy. And no one will care because I live in stupid hell! Mark my words! Welcome to stupid America! Remember: Biden is the intermission to the end.
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Eight American Traitors
Bottom left to right: Traitor Dan Bishop (NC), Traitor Chip Roy (TX), Traitor Lauren Boebert (CO), and Traitor Glenn Grothman (WI)
From The New York Times, “The House voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to strip Russia of its preferential trade status with the United States, moving to further penalize the country’s economy in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The lopsided 424-to-8 vote came after President Biden announced last week that the United States and its European allies would take new steps to isolate Russia from the global trading system. All of the lawmakers who opposed the measure were Republicans [listed above].” These eight are Putin-loving traitors to America who, no doubt, represent a constituency of like-minded traitors. Yes, you heard me right: People who voted for these traitors are also traitors to America.
Since we are in a de facto war with Russia, may I remind these eight and all their supporters of the following: 18 US Code § 2381 states, “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
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Schwarzenegger
I watched the highly discussed Schwarzenegger message to Russians (and the world) about Ukraine. The intent, I gather, was to penetrate the newly descended iron curtain that now shrouds the Russian people, courtesy of dictator Putin; to go beyond the Russian propaganda machine; to convince average Russian citizens who are — apparently — Schwarzenegger fans by and large. Even though Schwarzenegger is a RepubliKKKlan, he is at least one of a few RepubliKKKlans I hate least since I hate all RepubliKKKlans without exception. Notwithstanding his political proclivities, the message was compelling — for Americans and those in other democratic countries, not for Russians.
His message reminded me of a firm belief I hold. I call it the First Axiom of Government: People deserve and, indeed, get the government they desire or at least tolerate. It is an extremely cynical view of people’s expression of governance, but it is true. Look, f***tards. If the axiom did not hold, then there would be daily revolutions in countries worldwide as people rise up against governments they do not favor. Clearly, that is not the case. Thus, people live under governments they deserve and desire. Perhaps desire is too strong a word, but at the very least, people live under a government they tolerate to an extent they are willing to be implicit participants; people have to live, and they have to live under some form of governance. Schwarzenegger’s message reminded me of this First Axiom because I don’t think it will penetrate. It will not convince anyone outside the free world of a truth other than what people elsewhere — Russia — want to believe otherwise. F***! There is probably a good 40 percent within America who probably think Schwarzenegger‘s message is propaganda from Democrats. So, he gets an “A” for effort, but in the end, I think Russians are fairly content under the Putin regime. Oh, well.
In an article from The Journal of the American Medical Association, “In the past decade, the growing polarization of ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states has further widened the divide on policies ranging from Medicaid expansion and abortion to education, immigration, redistricting, unions, and criminal justice. Conservative governors increasingly use preemption, the authority to override local governments, to block liberal health policies (eg, indoor smoking bans). States have preempted local regulations on nutrition (eg, menu labeling, food deserts) and, as of 2013, 45 states had enacted statutes to limit local firearm regulations. The COVID-19 pandemic removed any doubt that state policies can affect health outcomes. East Coast states (eg, New York, New Jersey) that responded to the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020 with strict protective measures achieved relatively quick control of community spread within as much as 8 weeks, and they blunted subsequent surges by reinstating those policies. In contrast, states that had spent decades opposing public health provisions were among the most resistant to COVID-19 guidelines and took active measures to resist restrictions. Some elected officials made a political issue out of challenging scientific evidence, embracing dubious theories, and labeling public health safeguards as infringements on personal freedom. Conservative governors used preemption to reverse efforts by mayors and school districts to control local transmission rates.”
In short and not surprising in the least, red states are killing their citizens, and even less incredible is that these red-state residents really don’t care. By almost every conceivable measure related to health, wealth, freedom, equality, and so forth, blue states are better for their citizenry than red states. Still, RepubliKKKlans, MAGA morons, evil evangelicals, and QAnon kooks don’t care because of FREEDOM! I could not agree more; they should have the FREEDOM! to die quickly and often. The only problem is they are not dying in sufficiently large numbers to impact elections. RepubliKKKlans seem to be surviving enough to out-vote Democrats. Welcome to stupid America!
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Frontline
Everyone should watch the Frontline show “Putin’s Road to War.” It was a timely video primer of Putin’s two decades in power. It was also a reminder of how the West has enabled Putin at every turn. To be honest, I think I was more livid at what past American and European leaders failed to do in response to every Putin action. I forgot some of the things Frontline detailed. Still, it was overwhelmingly obvious that the Putin character we see today and the actions he has taken in Ukraine were all wholly expected. Putin laid out his grievances before the entire world for all to hear and see nearly from the beginning of his presidency, namely, he lamented the fall of the U.S.S.R. and the rise of America and democracy. In response, the West ignored him and allowed him to threaten, bomb, poison, assassinate, and wage war without consequence long before he invaded Ukraine. No wonder Putin felt like Ukraine would be just one more consequence-free endeavor because the world singled to him for nearly two decades that it would be, just like every other time. Putin himself certainly paved the road to war, but the West installed and controlled the traffic lights, which have constantly been flashing green! I was reminded all over again of why I fear the West, in the final analysis, may not be up to the task to rid the world of Putin. The West fears him and more grievously the West fears standing up for democracy. I’m sorry to have to remind people, but democracy does not come without struggle. In fact, sometimes democracies need to go on the offensive — first.
Accounting to the Atlantic Council, “[T]he United States, Europe, and their global partners should add to the impressive array of sanctions against Russia. Their impact thus far, according to the Council’s Brian O’Toole and Daniel Fried, ‘has been to flatten the Russian financial system, crash the ruble, spur a likely sovereign default, and probably move the Russian economy into a depression.’ Yet as Putin’s forces continue their attack, O’Toole and Fried provide a menu (in ascending order of impact) of potential next steps: expanding the sanctions against Putin’s cronies and subordinates; extending sanctions on more banks and key companies (they suggest Gazprombank, Russian Agricultural Bank, AlfaBank, Sovcomflot, Russian Railways, and the diamond company Alrosa); and blocking the Russian government by sanctioning all Russia-state-owned companies. And if all else fails, enacting a full financial embargo that would ban all transactions, exports, and imports with Russia. What’s not in doubt is that Putin will continue to escalate if more isn’t done to stop him. … Putin has lost: He will never be able to entirely pacify and occupy Ukraine, and he has done generational damage to the Russia whose power and prestige he was once determined to build. However, his opponents have not won: Saving Ukraine, and sustaining their newfound common cause, is the key to shaping the global future. What has been accomplished against Putin thus far is remarkable, but it is still insufficient [emphasis added].”
To be sure, the West’s response to Putin’s war has surprised everyone — most of all Putin. I, too, had believed that the West was (still is to a degree) too weak to stand up to authoritarian regimes after years of appeasing the aggression of Putin and other dictatorial governments. Even in America, the rise and sustained love-affair with authoritarian rulers — traitor trump — certainly does not assuage my agita that Americans are one election away from reversing everything Biden and the West are achieving to counter Russia in Ukraine. Recall, traitor trump and the RepubliKKKlan are openly hostile to Ukraine. As the Washington Post reported in 2016, “The Trump campaign worked behind the scenes last week to make sure the new Republican platform won’t call for giving weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian and rebel forces, contradicting the view of almost all Republican foreign policy leaders in Washington.” Today, this is still part of the official RepubliKKKlan platform: Don’t help Ukraine! Pay no attention to what RepubliKKKlans say or do in their criticism of Biden’s handling of Ukraine. Do not pay attention when RepubliKKKlans vote in favor of aid for Ukraine. They are all hypocrites, and when traitor trump returns to the White House, Ukraine will be readily delivered to Russia with a bow on it while all RepubliKKKlans will sign the “Welcome Back, Russia. We Missed You!” card. Actually, the true state of RepubliKKKlan beliefs regarding Ukraine resides in what Marjorie Taylor Greene says and does; she is the authentic barometer of RepubliKKKlan, MAGA moron, evil evangelical, and QAnon kook sentiment on Ukraine.
All that being said, the West must do more for Ukraine. The authors of the article I quoted above were absolutely correct; although Russia is losing the fight as the situation stands now, it does not mean Ukraine and the West are winning. I hope the West truly understands the gravity of this moment. Not only must they do more to support Ukraine, but they must realize they have to do more to counter the threat of Putin. Forcing a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine is not enough and it absolutely must not be the end game! Hell! F****ing! No! It is only the first step. Unfortunately, this is where the weakness of the West and liberal democracies cripple the world: Democratic nations fail to kick dictators while they’re down. The West should be willing to beat the sh*t out of Putin. Full stop! But, no. I have no doubt that if Putin comes to his senses — however unlikely — and decides to negotiate a peace settlement, then the West will do everything it can to help Putin back up and try to convince him to return to the world order as a “good” global citizen, reflecting, once again, a profound inability of the West to learn from even the most immediate history. Putin must be removed from power. Anything short of that is failing to do enough! Sadly, the West always falls short of doing the right thing — completely!