We’ve all had those days; but when they happen, we feel as though we must surely be more miserable than anyone, anywhere in the world, under any circumstances, has ever been.

Yesterday was one of those days, for no particular reason; and then I found that no less a personage than Charles Darwin — the naturalist and geologist who taught the world about evolution — was no different than I am. Among his writings was this:

“But I am very poorly today & very stupid & I hate everybody and everything. One lives only to make blunders.”

– Charles Darwin, “The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Volume 9: 1861”

Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)

Darwin must have been having a very bad day indeed. But he lived to see another, and most likely better, day — in fact, 21 more years of them.

And so, I trust, will I.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/8/26

Shakespeare, through the words of his ill-fated protagonist Macbeth, said it best:

“ . . . it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.“

The “It” of which Macbeth spoke was Life itself. But recently we have come to realize its significance to acts of War . . . and to the leaders who start them.

The parallel between Vladimir Putin’s seemingly endless war against Ukraine and Donald Trump’s much newer incursion into Iran is strikingly similar insofar as the effect on the standing of the two presidents in their respective countries is concerned.

Regardless of his denials, Trump’s polling numbers continue to sink lower and lower, as though being sucked into quicksand. In an effort to distract from his other woes — inflation, rampant corruption, the Epstein files, etc. — he broke yet another campaign promise: the one in which he vowed that this country would never, under his leadership, become mired in another foreign war.

And now he is facing a surge of calls for impeachment, or for his removal by imposition of the 25th Amendment of the Constitution. There is even suspicion that some of his own administration members may be plotting his removal for their own nefarious purposes. It is beginning to sound more like a Russian-style palace intrigue than the workings of a 250-year-old democracy.

And speaking of Russian palace intrigues . . .

In Moscow, Vladimir Putin has been uncharacteristically absent from public view, rumored to be hidden away in a secret bunker — fearing, not only drone strikes from Ukraine, but also a possible internal uprising. Russian history is rife with cabals and coups, and its leaders are notorious for their paranoia. But is it paranoia if the threat is real?

In addition to scaling down this year’s Victory Day celebration in honor of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, Putin has been facing increased outspoken opposition from both the elite and ordinary citizens. Like Trump, he is also experiencing a sharp drop in his approval ratings, for several reasons: rampant inflation, mounting attacks on the independent media, interruptions in Internet service . . . and an increasingly unpopular war.

There are even signs of dissension among the various factions of his government, including his administration, the military, and the security services. According to Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of the analysis firm R. Politik:

“For the first time in years of war, there may be a shift. . . . Until recently, many assumed that Putin had a plan, even if it was simply to keep the war going. Now there are growing doubts as to whether such a plan exists. There are growing sentiments in Russia that the current system of governance is becoming too damaging and increasingly self-defeating. Tolerance for the status quo is eroding, while Putin appears either unable or unwilling to rethink his policy.” [Steve Gutterman, RFE/RL, May 7, 2026.]

And Aleksandr Baunov of the Berlin-based Carnegie Research Russia Eurasia Center wrote:

“The entire state apparatus, the media, the government, parliament, the church, and the intelligence agencies are still trying to solve the same problem: hide Putin’s mistake of 2022, but it’s getting worse. Putin is losing his magic. Power remains undivided in his hands, but the magic of power is fading.” [Id.]

In addition, author and analyst Mark Galeotti wrote in iPaper last month:

“None of this can be taken to herald the imminent end of Putin’s rule. Instead, it demonstrates how greater and greater effort needs to be spent on maintaining the status quo, and one of its greatest assets — Putin’s own personal authority — is in decline.”

*. *. *

Two autocrats — Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump — on opposite sides of the world, but of such similar purpose and methods, now facing nearly identical crises. It’s not coincidence; it’s simply what happens to all tyrants sooner or later.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/8/26

Robert Frost said it; we’ve all thought it at one time or another; and there is no way I can improve on it:

“If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/7/26

In all fairness, Melania Trump does not claim to be a stand-up comedian. In fact, everything about her demeanor screams exactly the opposite — a serious, straight-faced, often angry-looking woman, who is in a position in which she is occasionally required to speak in public.

And on those occasions, as she struggles to enunciate the words written for her by the White House speech writers, she tries . . . she really tries . . . to smile from time to time, and to appear, if not genuinely warm, at least relatable.

But, although she may once have been a pretty good fashion model, she is no orator. Her command of the English language, even after 30 years in the United States, is not the best; and that makes her attempts at humor fall flat. Except when she’s not trying. Then she can be — albeit unintentionally — downright hilarious.

Case in point: Yesterday’s address to military mothers at the White House in advance of Mother’s Day. After a few introductions, she began by saying:

“I often think about the brave people who make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.“ [Whitehouse.gov, May 6, 2026.]

So far, so good.

Then she went on to talk about the grief of those who have lost family members in service to their country, which was appropriate. And she tossed in some words about the unique bond between a mother and her children. But maybe she should have stopped there, instead of adding:

“This is a time of military conflict for America. And whereby [sic] we honor our selfless and valiant Service members regularly, today is the day we hold their mothers in the highest regard . . . praying for a safe return so their family can become whole once again.” [Id.]

Did she (and her speech writers) think that her audience are unaware of the fact that their sons, husbands and brothers are in harm’s way because of her husband’s illegal and unnecessary war?

The whole speech was a bit schmaltzy, but it was intended to be; that is what passes for sincerity in this administration. But finally she came to the end, which is where it all went terribly wrong:

“I pray you find enduring strength as your loved one serves in defense of our freedom. Most know my husband as the strong Commander in Chief, but his empathy transcends the role and shapes a caring leader who constantly remembers each and every American soldier is someone’s child. Distinguished guests, please join me with a warm welcome for our President, Donald J. Trump.” [Id.]

According to those who were there — and you can see it on the videos — when she uttered the word “empathy,” the laughter from the crowd was audible. Trump himself grinned and shrugged in what looked like an attempt at modesty, and Melania herself broke into a genuine smile as she turned to look at him.

In what must have been an agonizingly long afternoon for the women being honored, that moment of comic relief must have made it all seem worthwhile. I know I would have enjoyed it. In fact, I had a whale of a good time just watching it on YouTube.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/7/26

Act One: Vladimir Putin demands a two-day ceasefire for May 8-9 in order to be able to throw his annual Victory Day Parade on the 9th without having to worry about possible drone strikes from Ukraine. His Defense Ministry even warns of “a massive retaliatory strike . . . on the center of Kyiv” in the event of an attack on the parade. [RFE/RL, May 4, 2026.]

Act Two: Volodymyr Zelensky counters with a proposal for a ceasefire beginning even earlier — midnight on May 6th. Putin does not respond.

Act Three: On May 6th, Vladimir Putin’s military launches scores of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine, including a drone hit on a kindergarten in Sumy. More than 20 deaths are reported across the country as a result of the strikes. [RFE/RL, May 6, 2026.]

Act Four: Ukraine responds with a strike on a Russian weapons factory that manufactures navigational systems for missiles, resulting in a report of two deaths.

Act Five: ???

*. *. *

Once again, Putin has ignored, and violated, the offer of a ceasefire from Zelensky — despite having been the first to propose it. Does he still expect his original demand to be honored?

Ukraine’s counter-offensive actions on Russian territory have been focused on military and strategic targets, such as oil refineries and weapons factories; they have been careful to avoid, to the extent possible, civilian areas and infrastructure. It is not likely that they would take aim at a patriotic celebration that annually draws thousands of civilian spectators.

So why was Putin determined to prevent an event that had not actually been threatened? Is it simply his ingrained paranoia? Was he assuming that Zelensky could be capable of the sort of thing he himself has been known to do in the past?

Or might he be thinking of using the opportunity to create an incident — even a minor one — that could then be blamed on Ukraine as an excuse to “retaliate” and accelerate the ongoing war?

Hopefully not. But all we can do now is hope for the best.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/6/26

All of the old mystery writers — Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rex Stout, J.B. Fletcher (okay, she herself was fictitious, but you had to love her) — had a way of ensuring that, despite a good bit of mayhem along the way, the good guys always triumphed in the end.

They all seemed to adhere to the belief — perhaps too optimistically — that “what goes around comes around,” “you reap what you sow,” and the ever-popular “karma is a bitch.” Perhaps it was best summed up in the words of the venerable Sherlock Holmes:

“Violence does, in truth recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.”

– Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #3)”

If only real life were as simple and as fair as that. But these days, I’m afraid there wouldn’t be a pit deep enough for all of the schemers.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/6/26

May 9th is celebrated in Russia as Victory Day — the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. And each year, an enormous parade is held in Moscow in which the latest and greatest examples of Russian military might are hauled out and paraded through Red Square.

But this year, Vladimir Putin — who is rumored to be spending a great deal of time hiding out in bunkers in various undisclosed locations — is facing a dual dilemma: the physical danger of Ukraine’s increasing drone attacks, some of which have targeted the Moscow area; and the growing unpopularity among his own people of his war against Ukraine, causing unrest and concerns that a popular uprising may be in the offing.

An imminent coup or revolution may or may not be a reality; but there is no doubt that the drone attacks are very real. In fact, one struck a high-rise apartment building just six kilometers (about four miles) from the Kremlin on May 4th. No one was killed or seriously injured; but this was much too close for comfort.

Putin had already made the decision to cut back on the size of this year’s military display. He also announced a two-day cease-fire with Ukraine to allow the May 9th parade to proceed in safety. That announcement — which, in an unusual circumstance, was issued by the Ministry of Defense — also carried with it a threat that a “massive retaliatory strike . . . [would be made] on the center of Kyiv” if the Red Square events were targeted. [RFE/RL, May 4, 2026.]

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his own ceasefire to begin earlier, at midnight on May 5th. He also took the opportunity to poke fun at Putin by posting on Telegram:

“It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war; since the Russian Defense Ministry believes that it can’t hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s consent.” [Id.]

Meanwhile, Russia — not wasting any of the hours before Ukraine’s declared May 5th ceasefire — struck numerous regions including Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv on May 4th, killing at least 26 and injuring more than 80 others in drone and missile attacks. [Al Jazeera and Reuters, May 5, 2026.]

It is clear that, for Vladimir Putin, a “ceasefire” is merely a ploy to be utilized for his convenience, but to be ignored when it is requested for purposes of peace negotiations.

But that’s nothing we didn’t already know.

Hopefully — for the sake of the civilians who will be in attendance at the Red Square festivities — Ukraine’s and Russia’s leaders will do the honorable thing, and both sides will be able to enjoy a breather from the endless hostilities.

As to any long-term peace talks, they seem to have taken a back seat to Donald Trump’s Middle East fiasco . . . which has proven to be a total disaster on so many levels.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/6/26

We were told that Donald Trump’s rationale for invading Iran was . . . well, a number of things, actually, depending on the day of the week and his mindset of the moment. But along with his imaginary need to destroy the nuclear capabilities he said he had already demolished months earlier, he claimed that he wanted to free the Iranian people from their autocratic, theocratic, tyrannical regime. So he had the long-time ruler, the Ayatollah Khamenei, killed, along with other leading members of the government. He also said that U.S. forces had totally wiped out Iran’s military — land, sea and air forces — so that they would never again be a threat to anyone.

But it didn’t exactly work out that way.

Almost immediately following the death of the Ayatollah, his son — even more rabidly tyrannical than his father — was installed as successor to the throne. The regime is intact, and it is angry. According to one citizen, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution:

“Changed? It’s fallen into the hands of the Revolutionary Guards. The country is a mess. . . . So many of their people are still standing. What I had imagined did not come true. Everything got worse. And we are left with the Islamic Republic. I am gutted that they won this war.” [Fergal Keane, BBC, May 3, 2026.]

Iran’s military, while no doubt severely damaged, is not — as Trump would have us believe — wiped out. They continue to attack U.S. forces and facilities near the Strait of Hormuz and in neighboring countries.

And organized pro-government displays are ubiquitous, while opposition rallies are banned and severely punished. BBC sources in Iran say there is fear that when the war is over, internal repression will once again escalate. A lawyer who works with detainees says:

“Before the war, harsh treatment was reserved for those who were leading the protests, who had Molotov cocktails, or who were armed. But during the war, that harshness has intensified significantly.” [Id.]

*. *. *

It’s as though the regime is sending Donald Trump a message: “Don’t tell us how to run our country!”

But Trump, as usual, has gone deaf, dumb and blind.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/5/26

No, there hasn’t been a catastrophe in Rome. And certainly the Vatican, under the guidance of Pope Leo XIV, has been a model of peace and diplomacy. But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading for Rome this week, officially to “advance bilateral relations” with both the Italian government and the Holy See, which in Washington-speak roughly translates to “cleaning up another one of Donald Trump’s messes.”

According to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, “Meetings with Italian counterparts will focus on shared security interests and strategic alignment.” [Alex Raufoglu, RFE/RL, May 4, 2026.]

And an anonymous former senior State Department official diplomatically said that:

“Secretary Rubio’s trip is an important step in diplomacy,” and that the trip is an indication of how much the Trump administration “values the relationship with Italy and the Holy See.” [Id.]

But here’s the thing: Would this trip be necessary if Trump hadn’t excoriated both Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Pope — not to mention other European leaders — for having had the courage of their convictions with regard to his invasion of Iran?

About the Pope’s anti-war stance, Trump wrote this demented screed on his Truth Social platform:

“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. . . . I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do . . . Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. . . . Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Not only did Trump apparently forget how much he “valued those relationships”; he also seemed to overlook the fact that the Pope does not work for “President DONALD J. TRUMP,” but answers to a much higher Power.

Then, when Prime Minister Meloni had the audacity to voice her objection to Trump’s comments about the Pope, calling them “unacceptable” and refusing to back the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, he had this to say about her:

“I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” later adding that their bond had frayed because “She’s been negative. Anybody that turned us down to helping [sic] with this Iran situation, we do not have the same relationship.” [Colleen Barry, Associated Press, April 15, 2026.”

And in connection with his proposed withdrawal of troops from Germany and other European countries, when asked if he would consider pulling troops out of Italy and Spain — two countries also critical of the Iran war — he said:

“Probably . . . Look, why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.” [Al Jazeera, May 1, 2026.]

So now he is sending Marco Rubio overseas once again to do the dirty work of cleaning up the mess he made because he is incapable of thinking before he speaks, and because whatever thoughts he does have — on any subject — revolve solely around himself, and not around the job he is supposed to be doing as the titular leader of the free world.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/5/26

Maybe it’s an omen: so many good things happening on this date in years past:

• In 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to renounce allegiance to George III.
  
  On this 250th anniversary of that momentous occasion, perhaps we could take the hint and continue the “No Kings” trend.
  

• In 1929, Audrey Hepburn was born.
  
  She graced the world with her beauty, her strength (surviving World War II in Europe), her kindness, and her talent.
• In 1948, Norman Mailer’s first novel, “The Naked and the Dead,” was published.
  
  And the world discovered another great writer.
• In 1956, Gene Vincent recorded “Be-Bop-A-Lula.”
  
  Okay, so they weren’t all great. But sometimes just having fun is enough.
• In 1994 — also in the “just-for-fun” category — a member of the U.K. Parliament introduced the pun, “May the Fourth be with you.”
  
  It was, of course, a pun on “May the Force be with you” from the “Star Wars” movie. And he was speaking, not about the film, but about U.S. President Reagan’s proposed Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), which was being humorously referred to as “Star Wars.” It was corny, as are most puns; but it stuck, and it has carried over to this day.
  

• In 1961, the first Freedom Ride departed from Washington, D.C. — 13 young people, headed for New Orleans, beginning a crusade that has gone far, but hasn’t completely ended yet.
  
  We could use more of these, for slightly different — but all too similar — reasons.
• In 1959, jazz singing great Ella Fitzgerald became the first Black woman to win a Grammy Award.
  
  Long overdue, and much deserved. A true historic landmark.
  

• In 1990, an electric chair malfunctioned in Florida.
  
  A horrible incident, but with the beneficial result that it led states to change their methods of execution. Unfortunately, it hasn’t led to the total elimination of capital punishment.
• In 1904, the U.S. officially acquired the Panama Canal, which might otherwise never have been completed. Its beneficial effect on world trade cannot be overstated.
  
  In 1979, during the Carter administration, the U.S. agreed to transfer management of the Canal to Panama. And now the Trump administration wants to reclaim it. Indian givers!
• In 1994, Israel’s Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord for Palestinian self-rule.
  
  Well, it was nice while it lasted.
  

Those were all such different times. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could only . . . well, you know.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/4/26