In a slight departure from the usual daily quote, I am inspired today to respond to the unintelligible ramblings of one well-known individual with the far more eloquent words of another.

We begin with this guy . . .

. . . who, while addressing a gathering of the top U.S. military brass on the subject of Marine morale, suddenly lost his train of thought and wandered off onto the subject of “Biden’s autopen” and . . . well, see for yourself:

“I have to sign for a general because we have beautiful paper,
the gorgeous paper. I said, ‘Throw a little more gold on it,
they deserve it.’ Give me — I want the A paper, not the D paper.
We used to sign a piece of garbage.”

– As reported by Robert Reich, Substack.com, November 11, 2025

*. *. *

It didn’t take me long to imagine the likely reaction of the Bard, had his monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, spewed such gibberish at her troops. Try this:

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing.”

– William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V, Scene 5

*. *. *

Yup . . . I believe that pretty much sums it up.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/12/25

According to “sources familiar with the matter,” one of our most valued allies, the United Kingdom, is no longer sharing intelligence with the U.S. regarding suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean “because it does not want to be complicit” in the Trump administration’s military strikes, which it “believes . . . are illegal.” [Natasha Bertrand, CNN, November 11, 2025.]

The UK believes they’re illegal?? Well, if anyone has any doubts, they should be allayed by the following:

> The United Nations’ human rights chief, Volker Turk, said last month that the strikes violate international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing.”

> Trump has justified the attacks by designating drug cartels as “foreign terrorist groups,” thus making his actions — in his opinion — fully compliant with the Law of Armed conflict, which applies to attacks on civilians. But legal experts say that that the “foreign terrorist” designation does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force, and that the restrictions mandated by the Law of Armed Conflict would still apply to civilian drug traffickers.

> Even Trump’s own Defense Department has weighed in against the attacks. Specialists in international law within the DoD’s Office of General Counsel have raised concerns, as have current and former uniformed military lawyers . . . although Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s spokesperson has denied that any lawyers involved in the operations have dissented.

> To top it off, the commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Admiral Alvin Holsey, raised questions about the legality of the strikes during a meeting last month with Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during which Holsey offered his resignation. He will be leaving his post next month. [Id.]

And our British friends are not alone in their refusal to be associated with Trump’s murderous rampage. Canada — which has also helped the U.S. Coast Guard pursue drug traffickers in the Caribbean for nearly 20 years in a partnership called Operation Caribbean — has now also distanced itself from the attacks by making it clear to the U.S. that it does not want its intelligence being used to help target boats for the deadly strikes. In a statement to the Canadian press last month, a spokesperson for the Canadian defense authorities said:

“ . . . it is important to note that Canadian Armed Forces activities under Operation Caribbean, conducted in coordination with the United States Coast Guard, are separate and distinct” from the U.S. military strikes on suspected drug vessels. [Id.]

*. *. *

While it’s encouraging and heartwarming to know that our allies have consciences and codes of ethics unfamiliar to the current members of the U.S. administration, it is at the same time devastating to realize how far we have sunk in the esteem of even the most stalwart of our friends.

I’m reminded of the song by American country music singer Lee Greenwood — “God Bless the USA” —which he wrote in 1983 but which went viral in 2001 following the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The second verse is particularly poignant:

“I thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
’Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away.”

. . . and the chorus continues:

“And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free,
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today,
’Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land.
God Bless the U.S.A.”

I vividly remember hearing that song on my car radio as I drove past the destroyed western side of the Pentagon on my way home from work the day they reopened that stretch of highway I-395.

And I recall being at Dulles International Airport to meet an arriving relative just a week after the attack, when I was privileged to speak with a unit of British soldiers who had also just landed . . . coming to assist us in our time of need.

I feel certain that our British friends would still be there for us if we needed them today. But I wonder whether it would be with the same spirit of comradeship . . .or simply out of an innate sense of duty and human decency.

What sad times we live in.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/12/25

Yesterday I quoted from a work of fiction on the subject of tyrants. Today, I turn to a very real person . . . one of the greatest, most revered political ethicists of modern times . . . a peacemaker who was assassinated for his views on freedom and civil rights: Mahatma Gandhi.

Known in India as the “Father of the Nation,” he led the drive for his country’s independence from British rule, and inspired worldwide civil rights movements through non-violent resistance.

And on the subject of tyrants, he offered these words of hope:

“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants
and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible.
But in the end, they always fall. Always.”

– Mahatma Gandhi, “Gandhi: An Autobiography”

*. *. *

My question remains: How long do we have to wait before the fall?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/11/25

Yesterday — after actually working over the weekend! — and after 41 days of internecine battling and agonizing suspense — the U.S. Senate finally agreed to a compromise bill that would end the longest government shutdown in this country’s history.

Now it just has to pass the House of Representatives, hopefully sometime this week.

But it took eight former holdouts — seven Democrats and an Independent — to break the stalemate. They were Democrats Dick Durbin, Maggie Hassan, Tim Kaine, Jeanne Shaheen, Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman and Jacky Rosen, and Independent Angus King, who caucuses with the Democrats.

Many are now castigating them as traitors to the people who still may lose their medical insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But they did not give up everything; and with so many lower-income Americans in danger of going hungry because of Donald Trump’s punitive defunding of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), they are saying they felt it was essential to get food back onto people’s tables, re-open the government, send hundreds of thousands of workers back to their jobs and on salary, and deal with the ACA issue after that.

So, exactly what did the compromise bill cover?

First, although no one likes to be the one to swerve in a game of chicken, it had become obvious that Trump was pulling the Republican strings (as always), and didn’t care how many children or old folks starved or died of disease; he simply wasn’t going to give an inch on health care. Maybe because it was originally called Obamacare, after his arch nemesis (or one of them), former President Barack Obama.

Whatever his reasoning, ACA was the principal roadblock, and nothing was going to move until it was resolved. So the eight Democrats finally agreed to put it on the back burner — not to surrender it, but to table it until after the wheels of government were turning once more.

In exchange, the Republicans agreed to fund the government through January 2026, in addition to an extension of funding through fiscal year 2026 — ending September 30th — for several key agencies, including those that control federal food aid, veterans programs, military affairs, and others.

Interestingly, the extended bill includes $203.5 million in new funding for enhanced security measures and protection for members of Congress, in addition to $852 million for U.S. Capitol Police. [Annie Grayer and Sarah Ferris, CNN, November 10, 2025.]

Methinks the legislators are feeling, shall we say, somewhat unpopular with their constituents at present, and more than a little vulnerable.

Of course, the compromise bill still has to be passed by the House of Representatives, so there are no guarantees. But with the recent surge of Democratic wins, and mid-term elections coming up, let’s hope they’re smart enough to see the writing on the wall if they cause this shutdown to drag on any longer.

And then, of course, it will have to be approved by Donald Trump . . . though it’s hardly likely that he would veto it when he’s been controlling it all along. And he’ll still have the fight over ACA to keep him occupied.

*. *. *

In brief, I can see both sides of the argument for and against the compromise, and whether the eight Democrats were right to call a halt to the shutdown.

Happily, I am not a recipient of SNAP benefits. But as a single, senior woman on a fixed income, I can empathize with those who are dependent on that assistance in order to feed their families because their incomes are not sufficient to keep up with ever-increasing costs. And my Medicare supplemental insurance premiums have become a tremendous burden on my budget; but I can’t afford to be without the coverage, because Medicare covers so little. So I concur with those who decided it is essential that everyone get back to work as soon as possible, and the salaries and benefits that are covered by our tax dollars begin to flow again.

On the other hand, I despise the thought of having to give in to an administration that looks after itself and its friends, and doesn’t give a damn about the welfare of the people who voted them into office, and whom they are sworn to serve and protect.

Sometimes, life simply isn’t fair.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/11/25

Who doesn’t love Harry Potter? And who hasn’t trembled at the sight of the evil Voldemort? As villains and tyrants go — real or fictitious — he is surely one of the most terrifying.

And his creator, J.K. Rowling, explained his ultimate downfall in a manner that serves as a message to all of the world’s villains.

Pointing out that Voldemort had himself created his own worst enemy, “just as tyrants everywhere do,” she wrote:

“Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day,
amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one
who rises against them and strikes back!”

– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

***

Thanks, J.K. We’re all waiting for that day to arrive.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/10/25

“Donald Trump has said the US will not attend the G20 summit in South Africa over widely discredited claims that white people are being persecuted in the country.” [Andre Rhoden-Paul, BBC, November 8, 2025.]

I don’t even know where to begin with this one.

I haven’t yet gotten over Trump’s fixation with the White South Africans (Afrikaners) who claim persecution by their government, or his fast-tracking their immigration to the U.S. while blocking entry of asylum-seekers from nearly every other country.

But now he is spitefully refusing to attend the all-important upcoming G20 summit because it is being held in Johannesburg — as though he is in a position to lecture others on the subjects of fairness, morals, ethics, or human rights.

Yet somehow, he, in his perpetual delusional state, truly believes that he is. After first announcing that JD Vance would attend in his place, he changed his mind again and wrote on social media:

“Afrikaners (people who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated. No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.” [Id.]

Does he even know what’s going on right here at home?!! Apparently not; he’s too busy adding more tacky gold to his Billionaires’ Ballroom.

Meanwhile, there has been no evidence of a White genocide taking place in South Africa, whose foreign ministry issued the following statement:

“The South African government wishes to state, for the record, that the characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution, is not substantiated by fact.” [Id.]

So, as the titular leader of the world’s most powerful country — in control of the world’s largest economy — Donald Trump is abdicating his responsibility to attend a vital economic conference with the world’s other major powers because he disapproves of something that may, or may not, be happening in the host country. Wouldn’t you think he’d welcome the opportunity to check out the situation in person?

But no . . . he’s already made up his mind. And in any event, he’s engrossed in negotiating business deals with Russia, China, North Korea, and other totalitarian governments. There’s no time for fact-checking.

Could someone please explain his reasoning to me? Because I am at a total loss.

And lest he should think he will be gaining any leverage over the South African government by threatening to absent himself from the summit, he should consider the statement of Foreign Ministry spokesman Chrispin Phiri, who called Trump’s decision “regrettable,” but said that the success of the summit will not “rest on one member state.”

He added that Trump was “orchestrating an imagined crisis . . . using the painful history of South Africa’s colonial past,” and that there was “absolutely no evidence of white persecution in South Africa. South Africa does have its problems and we are dealing with those. I think crime affects everyone, regardless of their race.” [Id.]

And then he concluded:

“We will move on without the United States.” [Id.]

*. *. *

And that, in just eight words, is where Donald Trump’s so-called foreign and domestic policies have taken the United States: from the world’s most trusted, respected, relied-upon model of freedom and democracy to expendable has-been — just another “member state.” All in ten short months.

We are so . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/10/25

Is it time to worry? Or is there a simple reason for the absence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from the most recent meeting of Vladimir Putin’s Security Council, and the cancellation of his scheduled attendance at the upcoming G20 session in Johannesburg, South Africa?

Lavrov was the only permanent member of the Security Council to miss the meeting on Wednesday, November 5th — the day after Putin had signed a decree appointing a more junior official — economist and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maksim Oreshkin — to head the delegation to the G20.

There could, of course, be any number of reasons for his absence. He might have been assigned a task by Putin that would take him elsewhere for a while; he might, at age 75, have been taken ill; or — as anyone familiar with Russian history and political intrigues would be likely to suspect — there might be some major changes underway in the Kremlin hierarchy.

At least that was the rumor circulating around Moscow on Wednesday when the daily business publication Kommersant noted the two coinciding events, citing “informed sources” who reported that Lavrov “was absent by agreement” from the Security Council meeting. [Nathan Hodge, CNN, November 7, 2025.]

Was this Kremlin-speak for “it’s no one’s business”? In true Soviet style, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attempted to dispel the rumors by telling reporters on Friday:

“There is no truth to these reports whatsoever. Lavrov continues to serve as foreign minister, of course.” [Id.]

And Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Lavrov was still on the job, but confirmed that he had indeed missed Wednesday’s meeting, adding: “ . . . but that happens.” [Id.]

Well, no . . . it doesn’t just happen. Not in Moscow, at any rate. Or not without a very good reason.

First, there has been speculation that Lavrov may have fallen into disfavor when his phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month failed to produce a plan for an in-person summit in Budapest between Putin and Donald Trump to discuss a solution to the war in Ukraine.

But there are also recent photographs of Lavrov in which he has been looking very tired, and not at all healthy.

And if the answer to the riddle is something much simpler and more benign than either of those two possibilities, then why hasn’t he shown his face to allay suspicions?

Whatever the reason, Moscow is keeping silent for the time being, which is standard procedure when there is a problem to which they’re still working out a solution. It’s sort of a Kremlin mantra:

“Always keep ‘em guessing.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/9/25

Today’s inspiration comes from award-winning African-American science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler.

Raised in poverty in segregated America, she fought against traditional beliefs of the day that Black people were not capable of intellectual achievement. She worked days and attended college at night, writing in her spare time and eventually achieving success with such novels as “Speech Sounds,” “Bloodchild,” and “Parable of the Talents.”

It is from the last that this insightful quote is taken. Its relevance to today’s world should be obvious:

“Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.

To be led by a coward is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.

To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists
who control the fool.

To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures
to be stolen.

To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies.

To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love
into slavery.”

– Octavia E. Butler, “Parable of the Talents” (1998)

*. *. *

Words of wisdom, indeed. But is anyone listening?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/9/25

Today is World Freedom Day, established in 2001 by then U.S. President George W. Bush to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, and the supposed end of communist rule in Eastern and Central Europe.

But totalitarianism has not died. Throughout the 25 years (thus far) of Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule of the Russian Federation, increasingly oppressive laws have chipped away at individual freedoms; dissidents have been rounded up and imprisoned or exterminated; acts of terror are periodically blamed on ethnic minorities; and wars have been waged . . . most notably, the ongoing “special military operation” against Ukraine.

For nearly four years — since February 24, 2022 — the people of Ukraine have been held hostage to Putin’s ambition to re-absorb the former Soviet republics and vassal states . . . even, if necessary, by first destroying them.

Despite international efforts at resolving the conflict, Putin has refused to agree to a ceasefire, and continues his deadly attacks day after day after day. Yesterday alone, Russia launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks on residential targets and civilian infrastructure in 25 locations across Ukraine, including Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Odesa, Kirovohrad and Kharkiv, in which at least six people were killed and countless thousands left without electricity, water, and — in many cases — without shelter against the coming winter. [James Landale and Alex Kleiderman, BBC, November 8, 2025.]

So today — World Freedom Day — it is especially appropriate to recognize the entire population of the sovereign nation of Ukraine as political hostages of Vladimir Putin, and call once more for increased measures to stop the slaughter of its innocent citizens and expedite the return of its nearly 20,000 kidnapped children being held in Russian territory.

*. *. *

Of course, we also remember those individuals who continue to suffer in prisons and penal colonies in Russia and elsewhere — convicted, for purely political reasons, of crimes they did not commit:

Prisoners of War:

The 19,500 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:

Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Azerbaijan:

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

In Belarus:

Ales Bialiatski
Andrei Chapiuk
Marya Kalesnikava
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In China:

Chenyue Mao (American)

In Russia:

David Barnes (American)
Gordon Black (American)
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)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

Stay strong . . . you are not forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/9/25

Yes, it is a real thing.

Founded in 1993, UNITED for Intercultural Action is “the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants, refugees and minorities. Together with over 560 supporter organisations all around Europe, ranging from local grassroots associations to national and international NGOs, UNITED coordinates campaigns, organises conferences, takes part in projects, produces publications and undertakes advocacy work to protest against discrimination and promote our shared vision for a diverse and inclusive society.” [Unitedfia.org.]

And they have declared tomorrow, November 9th, to be a day to speak out against fascism and antisemitism.

I would go one step further, and suggest extending it to every day of every year. But we have to start somewhere.

So, from here in the U.S., in solidarity with our old and valued friends across the Pond, I wish us all a very peaceful — and free — November 9th.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/8/25