(This is a re-post of an earlier article, as a reminder that things have only gotten worse)

On February 2, 1933, three days after becoming chancellor of Germany, Adolph Hitler told the members of the Reichsrat — a federal body of state representatives charged with monitoring the relationship between the German Reich and the state governments — that the states were the “historic building blocks of the German nation,” and that he would not intrude on the sovereignty of the states, but would assert Reich control only “where absolutely necessary.” [Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, June 10, 2025.]

Three weeks later, on February 27th, the Reichstag building was burned, allegedly by a sole arsonist caught in the act as an attempt to start a Bolshevik revolution. That was all Hitler needed as an excuse to suspend civil liberties and suppress the voting rights of the German Communist Party, and for his supporters in the Reichstag to pass legislation granting him full authoritarian power.

Citing an “eternal battle” between the German states and the central government, he pledged to solve it by dismantling the federated system and creating a “unified will” for the nation. He told the press that imposition of a central authority was not the “raping” of state sovereignty, but an “alignment” of state policies with those of the central government. [Id.]

Hitler convinced President Paul von Hindenburg to issue an emergency decree known as “Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State,” which, among other things, suspended civil liberties. Hitler was thus able to suppress any and all political opposition ahead of the elections scheduled for March 5th. [Id.]

The decree also stated: “If any state fails to take the necessary measures to restore public safety and order, the Reich government may temporarily take over the powers of the highest state authority.” [Id.]

Beginning to sound familiar?

*. *. *

Joseph Stalin — in a frenzy of paranoia — began his Great Purge (also known as the Great Terror) with the assassination in 1934 of Sergei Kirov, head of the Bolshevik party in Leningrad and once a personal friend of Stalin, who had become too popular and was thus deemed a threat to Stalin’s autocratic rule. That murder was then used as Stalin’s excuse to begin a series of show trials to rid himself of all suspected dissenters from the Bolshevik and Communist parties.

Between 1937 and 1938, he carried out a purge of his own military, ordering the arrest and execution of a large number of high-ranking officers . . . thus seriously weakening his country’s forces.

And then, in an anti-Semitic rage, he went after the nation’s doctors — a substantial number of whom had the misfortune of being Jewish — by fabricating a “doctors’ plot,” for which they were rounded up and shot.

Finally, from 1936 to 1938, under NKVD head Nikolai Yezhov, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens were accused of espionage, sabotage, wrecking, anti-Soviet agitation, conspiracies to start uprisings and coups, and the like. While the entire population of Russia was affected, certain ethnic minorities were specifically targeted, including those of Polish or German origin.

*. *. *

I hardly need to remind the reader what Russia’s current president, Vladimir Putin, has proven himself capable of. Over the years, he has targeted ethnic groups, such as the people of Chechnya and the Central Asian regions; political adversaries, including Aleksei Navalny, Boris Nemtsov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and countless others; and the entire nation of Ukraine . . . creating conditions to be used as excuses to eliminate them.

There were the four 1999 apartment building bombings in three cities, triggering the second Chechen war; the Dubrovka Theater hostage situation in Moscow in 2002; the Crocus City Hall terror attack in 2024; the Beslan school terror attack of 2004 . . . all fomented as excuses for Putin’s consolidation of power.

And of course, his most recent accusations of the alleged mistreatment of Ukraine’s Russian-speakers by the country’s “nazi” government, leading him to launch his “special military operation” in February of 2022 . . . the excuse he himself created in order to seize control of a sovereign nation that he considers the rightful possession of Russia.

*. *. *

We all know what happened to nazi Germany, to the Soviet Union, and to 21st century Russia. In each case, there were warning signs: sudden crises, used as excuses to consolidate power in the hands of a single dictator and deprive the citizenry of its rights. And each time, the warning signs were overlooked, or ignored until it was too late.

How many times will we allow it to happen before we cry out . . .

“Enough!”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/12/25 (Re-posted 10/31/25)

“For right and wrong change places; everywhere
So many wars, so many shapes of crime confront us . . .
Unholy Mars bends all to his mad will;
The world is like a chariot run wild.”

– Virgil, “The Georgics”

Two millennia later, and nothing has changed. What a sorry lot we are!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/31/25

It’s that time of year again — costumes, trick-or-treating, and kids wired on all the sugary treats; outlandish parties for the grown-ups; and the first pumpkin pies of the season. Happy Hallowe’en, everyone!

But it’s also the start of the fastest-moving two months of the year. We no sooner get the skeletons and fake jack-o-lanterns put away, than we’re working on our guest lists and menus for Thanksgiving dinner, and wondering what on earth we can buy to top last year’s holiday gifts for the kids who already have everything, and for the older folks who claim they don’t need or want anything.

This used to be my favorite time of the year, as it is for many people. But I’m finding it hard to work up the usual enthusiasm this year — not so much because I’m one of those seniors who really doesn’t need any more stuff (which I am); but because of the overall depressing state of the world.

Still, it’s times like these that we need to work a little harder to find the joy in life. So tonight I’m going to light a spice-scented candle; pull out the catalogs that have been piling up in the corner to start the search for inspiration; tune in to some Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music; and add a jug of apple cider and some cinnamon sticks to my grocery list.

Because I’m not letting the Grinch ruin what should be “the most wonderful time of the year.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/31/25

It’s lovely for our children to believe in fairy tale princes and princesses, and happily-ever-afters. But, along with magic genies and dolls that become sentient at midnight, we soon learn that — alas! — they are not real.

And that reality was again pointed out to us this week when Andrew Mountbatten Windsor ceased to be known as Prince Andrew. He is, of course, still the brother of King Charles, but he has been stripped of his title and all other perks of British royalty as a result of his connection with the continuing scandal surrounding the late Jeffrey Epstein.

That mess has been covered ad nauseam in the press and on social media, and won’t be discussed here. But the fate of Andrew as the result of his long-ago friendship with a subsequently-convicted sex offender is in itself a sad tale — not only for Andrew, but for his family, who have had to make the excruciating choice between family loyalty and service to the Crown.

Charles is not the first British monarch to have been placed in this position. His great-uncle, King Edward VIII, was forced to choose between his position and the love of his life, the American socialite Wallis Simpson, who — as a foreigner and a divorcee — was considered unsuitable marriage material. As a result, Edward chose to abdicate the throne, leaving his unprepared (but ultimately capable) brother, George VI, to step into his shoes.

George VI was, of course, the father of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who dealt with many an errant family member throughout her long reign: a sister (Margaret) who would not be tamed; the scandalous affair of son Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles (now Queen Camilla); and the acrimonious divorce of Charles from his first wife, Diana, and her subsequent tragic death.

And, of course, Andrew.

Charles himself has found himself caught up in the battle between his only two sons, William (heir to the throne) and Harry (married to a divorced, mixed-race American — that’s three strikes against her — and living in California).

Being a member of the British royal family is not a bed of roses. As an American, I am gobsmacked by the rules, regulations, traditions, laws, Church of England restrictions, and other minutiae that govern their every move and every word. And while I think that honoring tradition is lovely, and even necessary to preserve one’s history, I am also a firm believer in the necessity of adapting to societal changes over time.

But what do I know? As I said, I’m an American, where we do not have kings and queens. In fact, our country was founded by people escaping monarchal rule.

So I find it difficult to understand how a ruler, such as Charles, can make a decision that requires him to choose between his brother and the good of the Crown. Regardless of what Andrew may or may not have done years ago, he is still Charles’ (and Anne’s and Andrew’s) brother. This situation must be agonizing for all of them.

I had only one sister and no brothers. She and I fought, as sisters do, for half of our lives; but we always made up. And even when we were angry at one another, if a third person dared to criticize or threaten one of us, the other one jumped in to defend and protect. We both lived fairly principled lives; but we were hardly perfect. I ask myself now how I would have reacted if she had become embroiled in anything as abominable as the Epstein affair, and my answer is simple: I would have been greatly displeased, to say the least; but I would never have disowned or deserted her, not even to save my own reputation. And, were she alive today, I know that she would say the same about me.

I do not criticize King Charles for his decision; I’m sure that it was one of the most difficult ones he has ever had to make. But I feel saddened that he was forced to make it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/30/25

First it was a White House ballroom a la the Palace at Versailles:

Now he’s considering a triumphal arch, replicating France’s Arc de Triomphe:

What’s next . . . one of these?

Perhaps he’d like to tear down the Washington Monument to make room for a new sort of “Trump Tower.” After all, George Washington was one of the people responsible for signing that pesky Constitution into law. Who needs a monument to him?

Those magnificent edifices — Versailles, the Arch, and M. Eiffel’s masterpiece — belong in France; they are part of the great history of the French people. But America has its own history, and is celebrated by its own buildings, monuments and memorials: the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, the Statue of Liberty, the Alamo, and more. We don’t need imitations of other countries’ glories.

But Donald Trump’s gold-plated imagination has no limits. And now that he has summarily fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts — the independent federal agency charged with advising the president, Congress and the city of Washington on “matters of design and aesthetics” — he is free to inflict his gaudy, glittery, garish, cheesy taste on the citizens of the United States as he sees fit.

He has already terminated other boards and organizations during this term, including the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council . . .

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO-O-O-O-O!!!!!!!

Do NOT tell me that Trump is now planning to mess with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in his mad campaign to rewrite history according to his twisted imagination, or to suit the crazed beliefs of his Jew-hating, Holocaust-denying MAGA base.

Because that would go beyond mere trashy bad taste. That would be sacrilege, plain and simple.

That is what people like Josef Stalin, Adolph Hitler and Vladimir Putin do. It is not what people who profess to be president of the United States do.

But why else would he have fired the entire Board of Trustees, including former Second Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff, if not to replace them with loyalists who will do his bidding? In a statement earlier this year, Emhoff said:

“I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.

“No divisive political decision will ever shake my commitment to Holocaust remembrance and education or to combatting hate and antisemitism. I will continue to speak out, to educate, and to fight hate in all its forms — because silence is never an option.” [Arlette Saenz, CNN, April 29, 2025.]

*. *. *

Now he is doing the same to the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission: purging them of anyone and everyone who might try to stand in the way of his bulldozing of our nation’s history in order to create his gigantic, gold-plated monument to himself.

And through all of my sadness for what we are losing and my disgust at what is being thrust upon us, I am bothered by one other thought on a more practical level: What it is going to cost the country to tear down his handiwork and restore what he has destroyed, once he is no longer in office.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/30/25

We are all too familiar with this man’s mental acumen (or lack thereof):

And now this guy has caught it from him:

Although, in all fairness, Paxton did have a running start in the stupidity department. This is the guy who helped in the effort to overturn the 2020 election; was indicted for state securities fraud, but managed to get the charges dropped in exchange for making restitution to the victims and engaging in ethics training and community service, while still protesting his innocence; was accused by several assistants of bribery, abuse of office and other crimes; was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives and suspended on charges of giving preferential treatment to a political donor, misapplying pubic resources, and making false statements against whistleblowers . . . and so on. All in all, not a smart man (nor, obviously, an honest one).

But his latest bout of madness can be traced directly back to Kennedy, from whom he clearly received the inspiration for his recent law suit against the makers of Tylenol.

Yup, that Tylenol — the brand-name acetaminophen, over-the-counter pain-and-fever-relieving medication that Kennedy, employing his non-existent level of medical expertise, has declared to be a cause of autism in children born to women who have ingested it during pregnancy.

Never mind that years of scientific and empirical research have declared it to be the safest OTC antidote for pain and fever for pregnant women, whereas aspirin and ibuprofen are known to have caused serious adverse effects. But Kennedy has somehow become focused on autism, having also declared that it is caused by babies and young children being given too many early vaccines.

In fact, there is absolutely no proof that either acetaminophen or the life-saving vaccines routinely administered to children in the U.S. has any connection to autism. In fact, no one really knows what causes autism, which isn’t a “disease” in the traditional sense, but is a neurodivergent condition that is believed, but not yet proven, to be the result of a complex combination of genetic, environmental, and/or physical factors.

And yet he is suing Johnson & Johnson — the original manufacturer and marketer of Tylenol — and Kenvue, the corporate subsidiary that acquired it in a spin-off from J&J in 2023. Paxton claims:

“Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.” [Website of Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, October 28, 2025 Press Release.]

The site continues:

“For decades, Johnson & Johnson willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science that prenatal and early-childhood exposure to their acetaminophen products can cause Autism and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD”) in children. Despite being well aware of this fact, Tylenol was marketed as a completely safe medication for pregnant women, violating Texas’s consumer protection laws. The considerable body of evidence demonstrating these dangers was recently highlighted by the Trump Administration.” [Id.]

There have been earlier lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue alleging adverse neurodevelopmental effects on children whose mothers took Tylenol when pregnant. But independent studies have shown mixed results; and the largest studies have failed to pinpoint a definitive correlation between acetaminophen and autism — as was also the case with Kennedy’s specious claims that vaccines were the culprits.

But some people will sue anyone for any imagined wrongdoing, looking for a scapegoat to blame and a possible big payday. I recall the actual case of a woman who sued McDonald’s because the hot coffee she had ordered — which she clumsily spilled on herself — was too hot, causing her to sustain burns.

Yet, absent Paxton’s claimed “considerable body of evidence,” and relying largely on those earlier lawsuits, he has rushed to judgment and filed a suit that, no matter who prevails, will be costly — perhaps even devastating — to a company that has provided the public with high-quality products from baby powder to pain relievers to mouthwash since 1886, in addition to the more recent prescription medications and vaccines.

And all because noted conspiracy theorist, recovering heroin addict, and psychedelic-drug-promoter Bobby Kennedy, Jr., says it’s true.

Therefore, following Kennedy’s and Paxton’s examples, and despite the fact that there is no scientific proof that stupidity is contagious, I hereby declare, based solely on my own unqualified opinion, that it is true . . . and that Ken Paxton has contracted a raging case of it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/29/25

As Prime Minister of a country that fought so valiantly for freedom and democracy 35 years ago and has since become a member of both NATO and the EU, Viktor Orban has been uncomfortably seated on the fence between Hungary’s obligations to the West and his personal alliance with Vladimir Putin.

Not to mention his country’s dependence on Russian oil and gas.

In office since 2010, and as leader of the ruling Fidesz party since 2003, Orban has used his unique position to promote himself as the perfect mediator between Russia and the West. And he believed his moment of glory had come when Putin suggested Budapest as the site of a bilateral summit with Donald Trump earlier this month. But when Trump called off the meeting, Orban’s dream suddenly faded.

Equally upsetting to him is the effect on Hungary of Trump’s and the EU nations’ latest sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil and gas companies. Demands are now being made upon Russia’s remaining customers — specifically, Hungary and Slovakia — to cut their purchases of Russian oil, as the others have already done.

And Orban is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington next week, where he knows that further pressure will be exerted for him to join in the sanctions. Doing so, however, would obviously — to put it mildly — place him in a difficult position vis-a-vis his relationship with Putin. He needs Russia’s oil . . . and not because he can’t buy it elsewhere, as much of the rest of Europe is already doing.

Viktor Orban’s problem is that he is up for reelection in April, and he is not a shoo-in this time around. The leader of the opposition Tisza party, Peter Magyar, has recently staged an unexpected surge in popularity, soaring ahead of Orban in most of the opinion polls. And one of Orban’s biggest selling points has been his promise to the people of a continuing source of “cheap Russian energy.” In fact, asked recently whether he thought Trump’s latest sanctions might have been excessive, he replied:

“ . . . from a Hungarian point of view, yes.” [Nick Thorpe, BBC, October 28, 2025.]

And that certainly is not what Trump wants to hear . . . nor will he be likely to overlook it at their upcoming meeting. Orban is hoping to buy a few more months, until after the election, before having to stop or reduce his purchases of Russian oil. But if he is counting on his supposed friendship with Trump, he would do well to remember that he is dealing with a man to whom loyalty is strictly a one-way proposition.

It appears that Viktor Orban has suddenly found himself walking a very thin political high wire, and without a visible safety net. At best, he may have five months to find his perfect balance . . . or to begin planning for an early retirement.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/29/25

On this date in 1886 — 139 years ago — the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

Originally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World,” she was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, commemorating the alliance of the two nations during the American Revolution more than a century earlier.

And there she has stood, tall and proud, her torch lighting the way to countless immigrants seeking refuge from persecution and poverty. In 1903, a bronze plaque was mounted inside her pedestal, inscribed with the now-famous sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus,” which reads in part:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Those “huddled masses” included the likes of Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Enrico Fermi, Joseph Pulitzer, Irving Berlin . . . as well as my grandparents, and probably yours. These were people who thrived and worked to make America what it is today.

Or what it has been, until recently, when those words ceased to have meaning, and the torch in New York Harbor lost its light.

To Lady Liberty, and to the world: We Americans are so, so sorry. With luck and perseverance, may her next birthday be a happier one.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/28/25

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cadre of government and military officials have, since the start of their “special military operation” against Ukraine, consistently maintained that they do not target civilians, residential buildings, or civilian infrastructure.

Well, then, the world would like them to explain this:

. . . and this:

. . . and this:

. . . and this:

And now, based on interviews with 226 victims, witnesses, aid workers, and local authorities, in addition to hundreds of verified online videos, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has found that Russian forces have been using drones to chase civilians from their homes in Ukrainian-held territory near the front lines, following them with cameras and attacking them as they attempt to flee to shelter.

The Commission’s report on its inquiry is to be presented to the UN General Assembly this week. It states in part that the attacks “amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population. . . . Russian authorities have systematically coordinated actions to drive out Ukrainian civilians from their place of residence by drone attacks, as well as deportations and transfers.” [RFE/RL, October 28, 2025.]

The report continues: “For over one year, Russian armed forces have been directing drone attacks against an extensive range of civilian targets, including people, houses or buildings, humanitarian distribution points, and critical energy infrastructure. . . . [Russian troops] intentionally target civilians and civilian objects and cause harm and destruction. They even hit first responders . . .” — including ambulance crews and firefighters, despite the clear markings on their vehicles. [Id.]

The Commission has previously charged Russia with war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in connection with the forced transfer and deportation (translation: kidnapping) of Ukrainian children. But Russia does not recognize the authority of the Commission, and has not responded to requests for access, information and meetings.

Yet the evidence is clear and damning. So, in the face of their continued denials, how can we be expected to trust anything they say?

The truth is, we can’t. And Donald Trump’s belief that he understands Vladimir Putin, or has any influence over him, is nothing but a pipe dream.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/28/25

The home front in question being, of course, this place . . .

. . . or what’s left of it:

But let’s try to overlook the sacrilegious external devastation for now, and see what’s going on indoors, even as its principal occupant is traveling in the Far East, making life difficult for yet another segment of the world’s population.

First, there has been more talk — mainly from former insider Steve Bannon — about a plan for Donald Trump to run for the presidency again in 2028, when he will be 82 years old, presumably even more demented than he already is, and Constitutionally ineligible for another term.

“Impossible,” you say? Maybe . . . but Trump himself doesn’t seem to think so, having raised the subject more than once. Aboard Air Force One a couple of days ago, however, he said — not quite truthfully, but what else is new? — that:

“I haven’t really thought about it. But I have the best poll numbers that I’ve ever had.” [Bernd Debusmann, Jr., BBC, October 27, 2025.]

Seriously . . . Where does he get this stuff?!! According to The Economist, his net approval rating as of today is -17%. That’s minus 17%, down half a percentage point since last week. The polls show a 39% approval rate, 56% disapproval, and 5% uncertain (or simply too tired to care).

But Bannon, who inexplicably continues to support his former boss, remains unmoved. Ignoring the statistics, he told The Economist:

“Trump is going to be president in ‘28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.” [Id.]

*. *. *

All right, enough of that nightmare scenario.

In other delightful news, ICE has taken into custody British author and commentator Sami Hamdi, who has been in the U.S. on a speaking tour. He spoke at a gala of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Sacramento, California, on Saturday, and was about to travel to another CAIR event in Florida when he was detained at San Francisco International Airport. His visa has been revoked, and he has been told he would be deported rather than be allowed to continue his scheduled tour. His crime? Speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Following Hamdi’s detention, Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin posted on X:

“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.” [Reuters, October 26, 2025.]

CAIR issued the following statement:

“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech.” [Id.]

But this is not a unique event; it is just one of numerous cases of visitors’ visas being revoked for speaking out against the late Charlie Kirk, and of holders of student visas or green cards being deported for criticizing Israel or voicing support of Palestinian causes since January. It has become standard government policy to silence those who dare to disagree with Trump.

And it is no different than this man’s modus operandi:

Vladimir Putin was elected to his first full term as president of Russia in 2000, when that country’s Constitution provided for two consecutive four-year terms. But by ramming through Parliament — which, of course, he controls absolutely — a series of Constitutional amendments extending those terms, he has remained in office for a quarter of a century, and is good to go for at least one more six-year term. Because that is how dictators operate.

And thousands of journalists and political dissidents are currently languishing in Russian prisons and penal colonies, charged with specious crimes but in reality for having committed the simple act of speaking out against Putin’s war in Ukraine, or criticizing any of his oppressive laws and policies. Because that, too, is how dictators roll.

So I ask you: Other than physically, what difference is there between these two?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/28/25