One commits treason by adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. That is the simplest definition that sums up the GOP's recent tactics in addressing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Robert Reich's sub headline...
"Make no mistake: Putin’s authoritarian neo-fascism has rooted itself in America. The cold war has already come home"
The political pundits are already saying this cold war will be much worse than the first. This is illustrated by the fact that Putin has placed Russia’s nuclear forces on alert. Reich adds the big difference is that fascism is no longer an external threat, we have spawned our own version right here in America. And it is my opinion that its soul origin is none other than Donald Trump. Here's how Reich explains it...
"Trump Republicans continue to refuse to acknowledge the outcome of the 2020 election, claiming without evidence that it was “stolen” from Trump. In many states, on the basis of this big lie, they are making it more difficult for people who don’t share their beliefs to vote."
That's just one example but a solid mandate confirming that the only way the GOP can win elections is by fixing the vote. There is a distinct similarity between Putin's attack on Ukraine and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, we are told. Both are a vicious assault on Democracy, something Republicans seem determined to abolish. It started with Donald Trump's 2016 election and has since been picked up by a GOP that is hell-bent on an authoritarian government.
Max Boot: 'The Republican Party Is Becoming An Increasingly Authoritarian Party'... Here's Reich's take...
"Donald Trump has long admired Vladimir Putin who, evidence shows, personally authorized a secret spy agency operation to support a “mentally unstable” Trump in the 2016 US presidential election. Believing that a Trump White House would help secure Moscow’s strategic objectives, Russia’s spy agencies were ordered to use “all possible force” to ensure Trump’s victory."
Well, he made it and the world hasn't been the same since. But it didn't end with
Trump's defeat in 2020; the ex-White House maniac and his double-digit cronies are still challenging the election in Republican states throughout the country. It's cost taxpayers millions and all this moron does is push them for more. In 2019 Zelensky blew off Trump in helping rig the 2020 election. Today Ukraine's president is courageously fighting off Putin's assault.
President Biden indicated in his SOTU address that the U.S. is committed to stopping Russia from moving any farther west in Europe than Ukraine. Robert Reich concludes...
"In the months and years ahead, those of us in the west who believe in democracy, the rule of law, human rights and truth, must do everything we can to win back our fellow countrymen to these same overriding values."
When you get to my age, and the world outlook is as dismal as it is today, you begin to wonder about the future and worry about the younger generation. Don't get me wrong; this isn't a life-ending message, rather, simply, a reckoning of what's going on around us with hope of just how to deal with it. I expect to live several more years but wouldn't want to repeat an earlier life, based on today's challenges. Hey, it was a crazy eighty-nine years but mostly positive enough to look ahead.
Going forward, Russia is mercilessly pounding Ukraine, the coronavirus is unnecessarily pounding populations around the world, and Republicans are ruthlessly pounding democracy. It's coming from all directions, folks, with an agenda I bet no White House has ever had to deal with. Here's how bad it is: "Interpreter breaks down during Zelensky’s speech to European Union..."
BRUSSELS — "The English-language interpreter for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech to European lawmakers on Tuesday was so moved by the remarks that he momentarily lost his composure.
"During the virtual address, Zelensky described the recent shelling of Kharkiv, including a missile strike on the city’s Freedom Square. 'Can you imagine, two cruise missiles, dozens killed,' the interpreter said, his voice shaking. 'This is the price of freedom.'”
Vladimir Putin is on a mission to prove his strength and the strength of Russia, using Ukraine as his whipping post. He's bombed Kyiv and he is now focusing on the civilian population to exacerbate as many deaths as possible to bring down President Zelensky and his country. Putin's army met with opposition from Ukraine forces they didn't expect, deciding the private sector would be easier. So far, world powers are interpreting it as a war crime.
In the meantime, President Biden has unleashed a bevy of sanctions that has forced a precipitous fall of the Russian Ruble. Two of his countrymen who are billionaires, plus a wealthy group, are calling for Putin to negotiate, as is most of the rest of the world. What brought up the war crime issue was an accusation by Ukraine that the Soviets used vacuum bombs which are illegal in international warfare. Does that sound like someone is desperate?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine could affect Americans and US economy
The question now being shopped around; is this the beginning of World War III? Fiona Hill, Former Senior Director for Europe and Russia at the United States National Security Council, said Putin is capable of escalation into a potential world war. The big question is whether the U.S. and European sanctions are enough to bring Russia to the negotiating table. So far they haven't. And then there is the use of nuclear acceleration which would obviously be a disaster for the world.
"Russia faces the specter of a full-blown financial meltdown. Punishing sanctions leveled by the West have sent the ruble crashing to record lows, shuttered Moscow's stock market and made Russian assets toxic on the world stage.
It would seem Vladimir Putin has the world by the balls, not necessarily because of
strength but equally the question of whether he is mentally unbalanced. We had a similar confrontation with the then Soviet Union and Khrushchev re. the 1962 missile crisis in Cuba. The U.S. won because President John F. Kennedy held his ground. Will Biden be able to use the same strategy in Ukraine with his perpetual sanctions? I'm betting on the President's calm and confident approach.
For some reason the U.S. media has reacted to Joe Biden's presidency with the negativity of a pre-planned disposition that he can't possibly be a good president. Much of it is Trump supporters and some of it could be an incompetence within the Biden administration of getting the word out. Because, if you look at the facts, President Biden is doing a great job and here are prime examples...
He passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package -
Then the administration passed The $1.9 trillion COVID relief deal -
He supported transgender service members
Reduced unemployment -
There's more and you can read it here. The background...
"In December, the national unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent while jobless claims sunk to their lowest levels since 1969. When Biden took office, the unemployment rate stood at 6.3 percent.
"Despite the growing inflation, wages paid by private businesses also saw an increase of 2.4 percent from January through October last year, while disposable income rose by 3 percent."
Biden on first year in office...
These are facts that cannot be disputed. Then, Nobel winner in economics, Paul Krugman, adds his expert opinion...
“'Real wages rose last year,' Krugman explains. “On a two-year basis, they’re probably down, but not by a lot. At the same time, we’ve had stellar job growth — and as I said, the combination of modestly declining real wages with a strong job market has actually been a winner for past presidents."
But not a winner for Joe Biden, and when you consider all the above, you have to wonder where all the negativity is coming from. Krugman asks the same question. Here's how he explains it...
"As many of us have noted, Americans are very down on the national economy, but relatively upbeat about their own personal financial situation…. That is, their personal experience is pretty good, but they’ve heard that things are terrible for other people.”
Bingo! "They’ve heard that things are terrible for other people." And where have they heard it from? A Republican cartel of propagandists like Fox News, Breitbart, and undercover groups like Charles Koch's. But, then, there's inflation, which cannot be denied. It did happen on Biden's watch and as Harry Truman said, 'The Buck Stops Here.' But the corporate world isn't helping with escalating prices in oil plus food and more.
And then there's the Russian invasion of Ukraine where the president had to juggle
that with the Covid pandemic and his new SCOTUS nomination. The New York Times reports the administration was in a quandary with his State of the Union speech coming up, which is today. Here's the scenario...
"All presidents are confronted by episodes that are out of their control, forced to react to the world around them more often than they are able to shape it. But the dizzying events of the past week have for now pushed to the sidelines the congressional squabbling over Mr. Biden’s domestic agenda, and are already redefining the arc of his presidency."
So how popular is President Joe Biden today? One of the most credible polling organizations, FiveThirtyEight. has Biden's approval at 40.7%, a disapproval of 53.6%. Compared to Trump's first year of just 38.8% approval, a disapproval of 54.3%. Something's not right and it smells like the radical right again.
Great Britain's Prime Minister may have done some dumb things in England for which his position is barely surviving, but he did something thousands of miles away that will endear him to animal lovers all over the world. Here's the scenario...
"Sifting through the rubble of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, they [his enemies] allege that he facilitated the airlift of 150 sheltered animals during the evacuation of Kabul, filling a plane intended to ferry refugees to safety with dogs, cats, and donkeys."
Everyone agrees, of course, that refugees should also be taken to safety, but in today's world animals are important too. The Boston Globe's Alex Beam feels that "There is plenty of evidence that animals are just as worthy of rescue as human beings." I could not agree more and will add that, in my opinion, animals are much more worthy of rescue than some human beings. To carry this a bit further, I know some people who prefer the company of animals over people.
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”
China is doing its part and animal advocates are becoming frustrated with "official failure to ban animal cruelty." Xiaoyang was shocked as were many other dog owners over a series of animal-cruelty incidents and...
"he has been tracking a fierce national debate about whether dogs should be guaranteed better protection in law. (Cats and other companion animals, too, he acknowledges when asked.)"
"But legislating to prohibit animal cruelty is an oddly controversial topic in China. While there are tens of millions of dog and cat lovers, their calls for change are often drowned out by a relatively small but vocal crowd of conservative thinkers who believe caring for animals is elitist, undermines China’s development and infringes upon the traditions of those few Chinese who still eat dog meat."
Peter Li, a China policy specialist at Humane Society International and an associate professor of East Asian politics at the University of Houston, says the animal welfare problem in China comes off mostly as a "Civil War." Here's a shocker, Chinese conservatives undermine what they consider an elitist issue, plus they feel it "infringes upon the traditions of those few Chinese who still eat dog meat." Here's the scenario...
"These sentiments, combined with concerns from farmers and slaughterhouses about welfare provisions undermining profit and city governments’ fears of areas being overrun by pets, have thwarted progress on an animal protection law that was drafted in 2009 but has never made it onto the legislative agenda."
Back to the U.S. and a subject that explores how states around the country stack up
in their legislation protecting animals. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has a nationwide ranking for "The Best And Worst States For Animal Protection Laws" that should interest animal lovers. Number one is Maine, number 50 is New Mexico. Take a look at your state and see how it fares after which you can decide if you need to work on laws at home.
And finally, a "California lawmaker proposes 'Dog and Cat Bill of Rights' for family pets. Here's what it involves...
The bill would provide the following rights to dogs and cats in California:
The right to freedom from exploitation, cruelty, neglect and abuse
The right to a life of comfort, free of fear and anxiety
The right to daily mental stimulation and appropriate exercise
The right to nutritious food, sanitary water and shelter in an appropriate and safe environment
The right to preventive and therapeutic health care
The right to proper identification through tags, microchips or other humane means
The right to spaying and neutering to prevent unwanted litter
This is only in California and isn't even law there yet, but hopes are high and it's a good sign that should be considered nationwide.
The Florida House passed a bill designed to allow parents to sue schools if staff speak to students about gender identity or sexuality. What we have here, courtesy of the state's governor, the demented Ron DeSantis, is a case of open white supremacy that is beginning to mirror Donald Trump's reign in the White House. The Parental Rights in Education bill, it's called, "is about defending the most awesome responsibility a person can have: being a parent."
This, from the moron Florida legislator, Rep. Joe Harding, is pretty actionable...
The legislation, which advocates call a "Don't Say Gay" bill, says parents can take legal action against a school district if Florida teachers speak about LGBTQ topics like identity and sexuality that do not fall under "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate" guidelines for students.
Can Florida's data on Covid-19 deaths be trusted? The report for cases seems to
be in the ballpark but not deaths. As an example, for the week of February 14, 2022, the state reported only 10 deaths. As an example, California, although with 17 million more residents registered 501 deaths. That's a telling difference and what it says is Ron DeSantis is a liar. READ MORE...
The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin says, "Ron DeSantis is following Trump’s white supremacy playbook." Yes, we seem to have a clone, although the two could be head-to-head for the Republican nomination in 2024. The only thing that comes close to being the worst president ever is if the deranged DeSantis went to the White House. Trump repeatedly showed his colors on white supremacy protecting Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in 2016 and in 2017 the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. But here's her take on DeSantis...
"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who apparently longs to inherit the mantle of MAGA leader, has paid attention. In his state, images of a Nazi flag-waving group shouting antisemitic slurs in Orlando flooded news coverage over the weekend. The governor’s press secretary tweeted (and soon deleted) a bizarre suggestion: “Do we even know they’re Nazis?”"
'Bulls**t': Don Lemon fires back at Ron DeSantis' masks comment...
But DeSantis' lackadaisical attitude toward the Orlando Nazi organizers was not overlooked by the Miami Herald. Here's their proposal to the governor...
“Denounce the Nazi demonstrators in Orlando, Gov. Ron DeSantis," the board wrote. "It’s that simple. Say they are abhorrent. Say they are despicable. Say they have no part in this society or this state. But no.”
The paper also called out his railing against Democrats while the Nazis protested. He called the Dems "jackasses" but completely failed to chastise the radicals. To cap it off,the governor's press secretary, Christina Pushaw, released a tweeted statement on Sunday night suggesting Democrats might have been involved in the planning of the Nazi demonstration in Orlando. DeSantis is beginning to spread lies like Trump. READ MORE...
Think back to 1995 when Newt Gingrich took over a Republican House as the new Speaker. You might remember that he was the architect and co-author of the "Contract with America," introduced six weeks before the 1994 Congressional election. Republicans gained 54 House and 9 U.S. Senate seats, flipping both chambers. The "contract" represented significant changes to policy...
"They mainly included a balanced budget requirement, tax cuts for small businesses, families and seniors, term limits for legislators, social security reform, tort reform, and welfare reform."
So much for GOP intentions but at least there were some actual goals in Gingrich's lunacy. Well, he's back and is dealing with a wanna-be Speaker, Kevin McCarthy. The big problem is the Republican Party has no agenda, and apparently Gingrich was sought out to create one, or at least something that would pass for a new plan. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post says...
"the choice is perfect, in a way unintended by the upwardly failing McCarthy. Gingrich, leader of the Republican Revolution of 1994, bears a singular responsibility for precipitating the ruin of the American political system. So it’s appropriate that he is returning for what might be American democracy’s final act."
This is how Milbank sees Newt Gingrich's tenure as Speaker...
"Before and during his four-year reign as speaker of the House, Gingrich pioneered much of the savagery we see today: treating opponents as criminals, un-American and subhuman; using shocking language; perpetrating a grinding attack on the press; and sabotaging government operations and institutions."
In his new role Gingrich started with a warning to the House lawmakers on the Jan. 6 investigative committee accusing them for the "kind of laws they are breaking" and threatening jail time. Paul Waldman, also of WaPo, says the new "contract" will end up a "Myth" just like the old one where Gingrich claimed people voted for Republicans which resulted in a sweep of Congress. And the myth endures...
"when Republicans decide they need an agenda, it means trotting out some new version of the “Contract With America.”
does have an agenda, albeit coming from two morons like Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise...
"Republicans are expected to focus their new platform on education policies aimed at tapping into parental discontent; countering the rise of China with new economic measures; and “oversight” of the Biden administration. They are also looking at invoking other traditional GOP goals such as cutting taxes, restricting immigration, criticizing Silicon Valley and repealing environmental rules."
It is no doubt likely the American public can count on “oversight” of the Biden administration, cutting taxes and restricting immigration, mixed with the typical Republican lies and corruption. But absolutely nothing constructive. Hopefully the well-informed voter will see through all this bullshit and save us from the radical right carnage of our country.
In the movies or on television, if you want ratings you use animals. In today's political competition you can grab the heartstrings, and the attention of voters, by using children. Remember J.D. Vance, "Hillbilly Elegy?" This dufus is in the 2022 Ohio Senate race using this idiot argument, according to Alex Henderson of AlterNet...
"that 'childless Democrats' and 'the childless left' shouldn’t hold public office because they haven’t had the experience of being a parent."
This provokes a huge round of laughter until you realize this idiot is using children to conduct a political campaign that is certain to be fraught with more absurdity and the usual Republican ration of lies. But Wajahat Ali took him down with his liberal piece in The Daily Beast...
"He argues that it is Republicans, in fact, who pose a major threat to the safety and wellbeing of children.
"Far-right Republicans, Ali stresses, are seriously flawed in their thinking when they believe that 'critical race theory' and books they don’t like pose a greater danger in schools than COVID-19."
The GOP is in a race for votes in 2022, and 2024, and are capitalizing on white supremacy, while using the youth of America to make their point. Donald Trump opened the door with his racist comments and actions during the four-years of his administration. The bigots immediately came out of the woodwork with his blessings as well as others around him. The following illustrates this madness...
“Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has already banned ‘divisive concepts’ from being taught in schools as part of the right’s disingenuous ‘critical race theory’ panic, is now just one vote away from the Virginia Senate adding an amendment to ban mask mandates in Virginia schools,” Ali observes. “North Carolina Republicans are set to file a bill in the House to ban schools from mask mandates…. Schools, and our children in particular, have become the unfortunate but effective political pawns for a right-wing movement seeking to convert parents’ pandemic frustrations, fears and anxiety into 2022 midterm votes.”
GOP Governors Endanger Children By Playing Politics With COVID-19
Getting to the parents who vote through their children. Republicans have no qualms about who or what they use to reach their goal of power. Ali chastises Republicans who "believe that 'critical race theory' and books they don’t like pose a greater danger in schools than COVID-19." Here's a tweet from his Twitter site...
"During Black History Month, Republican leaders are more comfortable with our kids getting COVID than reading a book written by a Black author talking about white supremacy and diversity."
It goes without saying that the GOP has done everything it possibly can to expose children to the coronavirus by opposing all the CDC protocols for protection. Over 12.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic out of a total 80,068,996 cases in the U.S. One can only wonder how many of these kids could have been saved the agony of the virus had Republican states like Florida and Texas observed the rules of science.
And, of course, these millions of childrens' cases had to lead to some deaths as reported by Newsweek...
"According to available data as of December 15, a breakdown of 677,393 coronavirus deaths showed 1,005 persons between the ages of 0 and 17. Among those, 319 children between the ages of 0 and 4 had died from the disease."
So, not only has the Republican Party been instrumental in the deaths of over 1,000
children from a virus where, with the correct precautions, no doubt, a large number could have been saved, they also want to use them now in the upcoming elections to sell an agenda of lies and corruption.
The old saying comes to mind...'Do you have no honor?' I guess not when it comes to Republicans.
