It’s been a hell of a week and weekend for news. Briefly:

South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law, orders the arrest of his own party’s leader . . . and backs off when the entire country goes batshit crazy. As of this writing, Yoon is still in office, but . . .

France: The government collapses following a vote of no-confidence in the Prime Minister. President Macron, like President Yoon, also remains in office; but that’s two U.S.-allied countries whose leaders are facing uncertain futures.

Romania: Another NATO ally in turmoil when a Russia-friendly, ultra-nationalist candidate, Calin Georgescu, shockingly wins the first round of the presidential election, and the country’s constitutional court immediately annuls that round upon a finding of “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks.” The whole election process now remains in limbo, while the current president promises to stay put until the whole mess is settled.

Syria: The Russian-backed, barbaric regime of Bashar al-Assad is finally toppled by Syrian rebels. Assad and his immediate family wind up in Moscow, where they have been granted asylum by Vladimir Putin. (Ed. Note: Don’t they make a lovely couple?) All of Syria is celebrating . . . until they wake up tomorrow, realize that the happy occasion has left a serious vacuum in place of the Assad regime, and begin asking what’s next.

Russia: Putin is presumed to be hunkered down with Assad while both lick their wounds and begin trying to propagandize their way out of an embarrassing — to say the least — situation.

Turkey: President Erdogan is seen drooling and licking his chops over the developments in Syria.

Israel: Momentarily turning aside from Hamas in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu orders the Israeli military to seize the Syria-Israel buffer zone. Boy, that was quick!

Ukraine: President Zelensky, in Paris for the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, meets with French President Macron and not-yet-U.S.-President Donald Trump. We don’t know what was discussed, and can only hope that Trump remembers our U.S. Constitution provides for only one President at a time . . . and he’s not it. Not for another 42 days (but who’s counting?).

United States: On the home front, the weather has been unseasonably cold here in the southeastern U.S.; there was a 7.0 earthquake off a sparsely-populated area of the northern coast of California yesterday, followed by a tsunami warning that (happily) never materialized; and . . . as seems to happen every year around this time, despite anything else that may be going on . . . it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

So I recommend doing what I’m trying to do: push the bad stuff to the back of your mind, have another hot toddy, and concentrate on the joys of the season. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
12/9/24