As always when there has been neither the bad news of a recent arrest of a dissident, nor the joy that comes with the release of one or more prisoners, I find myself torn between relief on the one hand and disappointment on the other. This has been one of those weeks, and as usual, I’m trying to remain optimistic.

But even on the no-news days, we continue our watch over the thousands of political prisoners still incarcerated in Russia and elsewhere. Here again is the list of those known, which sadly remains only a fraction of the total:

Prisoners of War:

The 20,000+ Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Endangered Exiles:

Pavel “Pasha” Talankin
Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Afghanistan:

Mahmoud Habibi (Afghan-American)
Paul Overby (American, missing since 2018)

In Azerbaijan:

The “Azerbaijan 7”:
— Farid Mehralizada
— Ulvi Hasanli
— Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqiai)
— Mahammad Kekalov
— Hafiz Babali
— Nargiz Absalamova
— Elnara Gasimova

In Belarus:

Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In Russia:

The “Crimea 8”:
— Oleg Antipov
— Artyom Azatyan
— Georgy Azatyan
— Aleksandr Bylin
— Roman Solomko
— Artur Terchanyan
— Dmitry Tyazhelykh
— Vladimir Zloba

James Scott Rhys Anderson (British)
Aleksandr Andreyev
David Barnes (American)
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
Anastasia Dyudyaeva
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman (American)
Stephen James Hubbard (American)
Sergey Karelin
Timur Kishukov
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake (American)
Aleksei Liptser
Grigory Melkonyants
Nika Novak
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Sofiane Sehili (French)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector (American)
Joseph Tater (American, disappeared)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

You have not been, and will not be, forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/26/26

In keeping with today’s Shakespeare theme, I turned for inspiration to one of his lighter works, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” wherein we have two happy couples: Hermia and Lysander, and Helena and Demetrius —Demetrius having initially been in love with Hermia, then being enchanted by the local fairies (mythical creatures, probably better referred to today as “sprites”) to turn his romantic attentions to Helena.

You see? I told you Shakespeare was fun.

Very briefly, everyone’s favorite protagonist in this play — the mischievous sprite Puck — spies on the frolicking foursome as they engage in an argument over something trivial and nonsensical. And, clever fellow that he is, he sums up their behavior in just a few words, which you have doubtless heard before:

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
– Shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene 2

Yes, Puck . . . we are. We truly are.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/25/26

* Petard: A small cone-shaped or rectangular metal bomb filled with gunpowder used in 16th-century warfare to blow up doors, gates or walls.

If only Donald Trump would read, he might save himself from making a lot of really stupid mistakes. And I would advise him to start with . . . well, first, the U.S. Constitution and the Holy Bible (both Testaments, please) . . . but then proceed directly to Shakespeare.

For example, there is Hamlet. Everyone has heard of it, but not everyone has had the patience or the desire to read it. Admittedly, the old English vocabulary and writing style are not easy. But it is filled with duplicitous schemes, double-crosses, triple-crosses, murder most foul, people hiding behind curtains, and a couple of characters named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who — though their names sound like a 1920s New York vaudeville act — themselves die in a double-cross by the self-same Hamlet in the act of saving himself from a plot by Claudius . . . And so on.

Good stuff, huh?

The Bard gave us so many sayings and expressions that have become everyday parts of the English lexicon, such as when — also in Hamlet — Polonius tells his son, Laertes:

“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
– Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3

Excellent advice, to be sure. But oh, the irony! Later in the tragedy, Hamlet kills Polonius; Laertes challenges Hamlet to a duel, wherein he uses a poison-tipped sword with which to kill Hamlet in revenge for his father’s death; the swords somehow get switched; and Laertes is killed when he is jabbed by his own sword . . . thus becoming the victim of his own evil scheme: that is, “hoisted with his own [metaphorical] petard.”

And Hamlet, later having a chat with his mother, has this to say — obviously not only exhibiting a total lack of remorse, but indeed plotting further mischief:

“Whom I will trust as I will adders fanged,
They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way
And marshal me to knavery. Let it work,
For ‘tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard; and ‘t shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines
And blow them at the moon. O, tis most sweet
When in one line two crafts directly meet.”
– Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Scene 4

The ultimate triple-cross. Beautiful!

It gets even more complicated than that, because apparently Laertes doesn’t die immediately (picture Arnold Schwarzenegger bellowing “I’m ba-a-a-ack!”), and somehow Hamlet is also killed by a poison-tipped sword, his mother is done in, and . . . well, you get the idea. It’s a bloodbath.

For those who haven’t read Shakespeare but are now tempted by my descriptions, there is actually a “Shakespeare for Dummies” to get you started before you delve into the real thing. His plays really are rip-roaring nail-biters that put Agatha Christie, Stephen King, and J.K. Rowling in the shade.

*. *. *

“But what?” — I hear you ask — “does any of this have to do with Donald Trump?” Well, other than to point out what he’s been missing all these years by remaining under-educated, it is also a cautionary tale for his future, as well as the futures of his many sycophants and followers, as they continue on their mad rampage of destruction and revenge against nearly everyone — apparently overlooking the possibility that their victims or their heirs might one day decide to turn the tables and seek their own revenge.

Basically, it tells us that . . . well, let’s see now: “Revenge is sweet”; “what goes around comes around”; “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”; “paybacks are hell”; and the ever-popular, “look out for the guy behind the curtain!”

And I would throw in this one — a play on the famous words of Paul Revere (according to Longfellow’s poem) as he warned that the British troops were on their way:

“The Democrats are coming! The Democrats are coming!”

One final thought: In accordance with 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2381, there is no statute of limitations on treason in the United States.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/25/26

Elie Wiesel knew more than most people about not giving up in the face of unimaginable adversity. Born in Romania into a Jewish family, he survived the Holocaust of World War II despite having been imprisoned in both Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

He eventually came to the United States, becoming a citizen in 1963. His lifelong focus was on educating the world about the truth of the Holocaust, writing 57 books in both French and English. He was ultimately the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the French Legion of Honour, the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Order of the Star of Romania, and an honorary knighthood.

And he warned us of the dangers of remaining neutral in times of tyranny and terror:

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.

Elie Wiesel was a man of peace who would be horrified at what is happening in the world today, hearing the unmistakable echoes of the years of his youth. And he would remind us, quietly but forcefully, that we cannot afford to remain indifferent.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/24/26

As though Poland hasn’t suffered enough invasions in the past . . .

Imagine going into town — whatever city or town is closest to you — and seeing this on the main street or in the market square:

. . . or by the river walk:

In these pictures, they seem to be cohabiting fairly well, the boars not bothering the humans (and vice-versa). But they really don’t belong there. So the Polish government has taken action, and sent an animal control team out to shoo them back to their natural environment. Thus, the next sight you might see would likely be one or two of these guys:

And frankly, I don’t know which one I would find more disturbing. But that’s just me. I love animals; but anything created by Artificial Intelligence that is clearly smarter than I am . . . well, not so much.

For whatever reason, Warsaw has recently been invaded by the beasties, with reports totaling some 3,000 sightings — 20 times the number since 2020. In 2025, there were a reported 121 attacks on people, and 341 of the porkers were killed by cars. (I couldn’t find any information on whether the drivers were allowed to keep the meat . . . or would even want to.)

As Magdalena Mlochowska of the Green Warsaw organization pointed out:

“The presence of wild boars in densely built-up areas . . . poses a real threat to the health and lives of residents.” [BBC, April 22, 2026.]

I see her point. So in this case, I believe I would have to opt in favor of the skinny metallic guys, and not the four-legged ones with the huge snouts, lethal-looking hooves, and really sharp teeth.

There was no mention of what is thought to be causing this sudden mass migration — other than, perhaps, the irresistible fragrance of those amazing Polish kielbasa, pierogi, and golabki.

Or more likely, the Warsaw region, like so many metropolitan areas around the world, is suffering the consequences of urban sprawl and its trickle-down effect on the local wildlife as they are evicted from the surrounding forests . . . which is a crying shame.

If you needed further proof that we are destroying our planet, there it is, folks.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/24/26

This is going to be quick, because I’m dealing with a lot of family stuff right now, and will be for the next several weeks. So my writing may slack off somewhat, especially on fairly quiet news days. (Is there such a thing?)

But I’m still here, and still trying to keep up with the world’s madness. Hopefully you’ll hear more from me tomorrow. For now, though . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/23/26

A few days ago, Pope Leo XIV, while on an official visit to Cameroon, offered a comment that, while not mentioning any names, was suspiciously relevant to recent exchanges between himself and Donald Trump:

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”

Trump, as we all know, had posted an AI image of himself as Jesus, which created an international furor that he clearly had not anticipated. So he took that post down, offering no apology.

But he wasn’t finished. He replaced the first image with this captioned one:

And yesterday, he participated in a nationwide event called “America Reads the Bible,” organized by a group known as Christians Engaged: a “nonprofit organization committed to discipling Americans on biblical worldview and their responsibilities as citizens to pray, vote, and engage for the wellbeing of our nation.”

He did not appear at the event, which was held at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. Instead, his reading was taped in advance at the White House, “filmed on two cameras that were edited together.” [Max Matza, BBC, April 21, 2026.]

Presumably, that was the only way to ensure that he wouldn’t go off during a live broadcast on one of his famous tangents about his magnificent ballroom, his Sharpie pens, or his willingness to wipe out an entire civilization.

I did not watch the pseudo-religious spectacle; I have better things to do with my time, like flossing my teeth, or cleaning a toilet. But I couldn’t refrain from commenting on the program’s hypocrisy, its unconstitutionality, and its obvious bigotry toward all religions other than the Christian faiths.

That is not what America stands for.

This is:

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/22/26

From Russia, we frequently hear news of a high-ranking military officer, a government official, or a popular dissident disappearing, or dying under mysterious circumstances. “Falls” from a window in a tall building have become nearly epidemic; and being poisoned by an exotic substance such as Novichok (Aleksei Navalny) or polonium (Aleksandr Litvinenko) is a particularly nasty way to go.

Sometimes they’re simply shot on their way home (Boris Nemtsov and Anna Politkovskaya) by unknown assailants. And one bothersome individual — founder of the Wagner Group of Kremlin-sanctioned mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin — was taken down, along with nine others, in his private plane.

Not surprisingly, all of these cases seem to fade into obscurity, remaining unsolved despite claims that they have been thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authorities.

And regardless of the usual Kremlin denials, it is generally accepted that most, if not all, of these incidents were carried out on orders from the top of the government hierarchy — something that no longer surprises us as it has become more and more commonplace under the reign of Vladimir Putin.

But when a similar situation surfaces in the United States, it is unusual to say the least; and there is a tendency to disbelieve that a series of ten unsolved deaths and disappearances, even though within a single professional community, might be related . . . or, heaven forbid, connected to “official” sources.

We’d sooner attribute the disappearances to the usual suspects:

Or even to these little guys:

But it’s difficult to ignore the deaths and disappearances of at least ten individuals connected to sensitive U.S. nuclear and aerospace research who have died or disappeared since July of 2023. There are several from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) alone, including Michael David Hicks, 59, a specialist in comets and asteroids, who died on July 30, 2023; Frank Maiwald, a space research specialist, dead at 61; and aerospace engineer Monica Reza, 60, who disappeared while hiking in a Los Angeles forest in June of 2025. [Natasha Chen, Alex Stambaugh and Chris Boyette, CNN, April 21, 2026.]

Also missing since February 27th of this year is retired Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, 68, who walked out of his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico — leaving behind his phone, prescription glasses and wearable devices — and hasn’t been heard from since. McCasland was central to some of the Defense Department’s most advanced aerospace research, and once commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. [Id.]

The FBI says it “is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists . . . working with the Department of Energy, Department of War [sic], and with our state . . . and local law enforcement partners to find answers.” [Id.]

Separately the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has announced that it is also investigating the cases, noting that the individuals had access to sensitive scientific information, raising “questions about a possible sinister connection.” [Id.]

Conversely, in a post on X, NASA said that it is “coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies . . . [but that] . . . [a]t this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat.” [Id.]

But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said on Fox News:

“It’s very unlikely that this is a coincidence. Congress is very concerned about this. Our committee is making this one of our priorities now because we view this as a national security threat.” [Id.]

Even Donald Trump referred to the situation as “pretty serious stuff.” [Id.]

On the other hand, Representative James Walkinshaw, who also serves on the Oversight Committee, said that — while he agrees an investigation is warranted — he is not convinced there is a single, coordinated motive behind the cases, telling CNN:

“The United States has thousands of nuclear scientists and nuclear experts. It’s not the kind of nuclear program that potentially a foreign adversary could significantly impact by targeting 10 individuals.” [Id.]

Perhaps so . . . if those ten individuals were indeed expendable. But what if the research in which they were involved was of a maximally sensitive nature, subject to a “need-to-know” firewall restricting information to only a handful of people? Such programs exist in all governments, for reasons of security. But the obvious downside is that the small handful of people then becomes indispensable; if something happens to them, the entire program dies with them.

Anything is possible, of course. But ten nuclear scientists dying or disappearing within less than three years is decidedly strange. I seriously doubt we’ll ever be told the whole story, simply because of the national security issues and the lack of transparency for which the Trump administration has become infamous.

But if I were a betting woman, I would first rule out the little green men as suspects, just because . . . well, just because.

And, while I place zero faith in our government as it is now being run (or not run), these incidents have spanned two administrations with diametrically opposed agendas. So I seriously doubt that we are looking at a U.S. version of a Putinesque purge.

Which leaves a foreign bad actor as the most likely perpetrator. Hmm . . . I wonder who that might be.

But again . . . to what purpose?

It is indeed a mystery.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/22/26

Patrick Henry, one of the founding fathers of the United States, is perhaps best remembered for having said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”

But he had much more to offer his country. Self-educated, he was a planter who became a lawyer, politician and orator. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, becoming known for his inflammatory speeches against the 1765 Stamp Act, and later became a delegate to the Second Virginia Convention and the First Continental Congress, and was twice elected Governor of Virginia.

During the years of his legal practice, Henry represented Virginia taxpayers in a landmark case known as the Parson’s Cause (officially, Maury v. The Vestry of Hanover County). In his defense of colonial autonomy, he made the following impassioned statement:

“A King, by disallowing Acts of this salutary nature, from being the father of his people, degenerated into a Tyrant and forfeits all rights to his subjects’ obedience.”

He was, of course, referring to King George III:

But once again, as my old friend Will Shakespeare said in The Tempest:

“What’s past is prologue.”

Henry may as well have been talking about this would-be “King”:

In any century, in any country, one tyrant is pretty much the same as all the others.

And none of them deserve their subjects’ obedience.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/21/26

. . . or at least schedule a nice, long phone conversation. Because they’re each having a bad year and could use a shoulder to cry on.

It’s almost as though the same black cloud is hanging over both the Kremlin and the White House. Or maybe karma is just performing a simultaneous strike against two individuals who — though separated by thousands of miles and vastly different heritages — are so similar in thought, temperament and action that they could be twins.

In addition to the big stuff — Putin’s war in Ukraine, and Trump’s war in Iran; Putin’s intensified campaign against dissidents, and Trump’s decimation of the First Amendment; Putin’s corrupt oligarchs, and Trump’s . . . well, corrupt oligarchs — in addition to all of that, here are a couple of extra highlights from the past few days that are almost too coincidental:

> Finally admitting that Russia’s economy is in trouble, Putin has blamed his aides and demanded they come up with solutions. Although denied by the Kremlin, there have been reports that officials have not been keeping Putin fully advised. At a televised meeting last week, he said:

”I expect to hear detailed reports today on the current economic situation and why the trajectory of macroeconomic indicators is currently below expectations. Moreover, below the expectations of not only experts and analysts, but also the forecasts of the government itself and the central bank of Russia.” [Jason Ma, Fortune, April 18, 2026.]

The discontent throughout the Russian population has become palpable, and there have been reports that Putin is becoming more and more paranoid.

> Across the Atlantic in Washington, Trump was clearly unhappy with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s statement that gas prices may not drop below the $3/gallon mark before next year. Trump, as we all know, has been promising a rapid drop in gas prices as soon as his little “excursion” (his word) into Iran is settled — which could be as soon as tomorrow, if you believe everything he says. His major concern? The upcoming midterm elections in November, and the popular discontent with the state of the economy that is likely to swing many of those states from Republican to Democrat.

And it’s not just the cost of gas. As in Russia, the cost of war — along with a series of other economic and diplomatic blunders — has caused the price of everything to skyrocket. We, the American public, have made no secret of our collective anger, and have exhibited it in recent special elections, choosing Democrats in traditionally Republican regions . . . thus further feeding Trump’s frustration and paranoia.

*. *. *

> Then there is that little matter of free speech. We Americans take that Constitutional right very seriously, and have fought back against Trump’s attempts to stifle us via law suits, social media posts, and peaceful demonstrations. But his biggest problem has been the backlash from the mass media: TV personalities such as Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, and others whom he has tried to silence have instead become folk heroes for their refusal to be gagged.

> Meanwhile, a verbal war has broken out in Moscow between celebrity blogger Viktoria Bonya, who has dared to speak out against Putin, and Vladimir Solovyov, a talk show host favorable to the Kremlin, who has attacked her with personal insults and accusations of being an agent of the West. Not to be intimidated, Bonya has struck back, calling Solovyov “an enemy of the people.” [Andrew Osborn, Reuters, April 20, 2026.]

While nearly unheard-of until recently, there have been a number of Russian journalists, broadcasters and bloggers who have made their dissenting views known. Some have been arrested and imprisoned; others, like Bonya, have fled the country but continue to voice their opinions from abroad.

*. *. *

So you can see what I mean.

I never thought I’d be comparing, rather than contrasting, life in the U.S. with events in Russia. But it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between the thought processes and actions of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, who seem to have developed a nearly symbiotic relationship.

And that is one hell of a frightening thought.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/21/26