It’s another Friday the 13th.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/13/26

One can only hope.

The corrupt, autocratic, Putin-friendly Prime Minister of Hungary is just a month away from election day; and, after serving four consecutive terms in office, he and his right-wing Fidesz Party are now trailing his opponent, Peter Magyar, 39% to 50% in the latest poll. [Nick Thorpe, BBC, March 12, 2026.]

Orban is a desperate man, and desperate people often do crazy things. In this case, he has launched a fear campaign in order to convince the Hungarian voters that he is the only leader who can keep them safe. He has claimed, without substantiation, that there have been threats of physical violence against him and his family, as well as the likelihood of imminent attacks and acts of sabotage against their country . . . from Ukraine.

Yes, the same Ukraine that has been fighting for its very existence for the past four years — whose people have just barely survived one of the harshest winters on record with little or no heat, electricity, fresh water, or undamaged shelter — are now supposedly spending their time plotting terror attacks against Hungary.

The same Ukraine — whose own fuel supplies have been disrupted by Russian drone attacks on its production facilities, including a January 27th strike on the Brody oil hub resulting in a shutdown of the Druzhba pipeline that also serves other European countries — are allegedly delaying the restoration of the system in order to spite Viktor Orban.

Or that’s what he would have you believe.

Hungary relies on that pipeline for its fuel supplies. But rather than place the blame where it lies — on his benefactor Vladimir Putin for the continued battering of Ukraine’s vital infrastructure — Orban is faulting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not having repaired the pipeline, and has accused him of intentionally delaying repairs in order to impede Orban’s reelection campaign. [Id.]

In truth, work on the damaged storage tank — which contained 75 million liters of crude oil that had to be pumped into the pipeline for temporary storage — is underway. But experts have estimated that it will take approximately six weeks to complete. [Id.]

Orban also overlooks the fact that, while most of Europe has stopped buying Russian oil in protest against the war in Ukraine and managed to find other sources, he has not. It is that Russian oil that has continued to flow through the Druzhba pipline in accordance with a multinational agreement reached after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine in order to protect Central European supplies, helping to finance Russia’s “special military operation.” And it is Russia’s attack that has disrupted the flow of oil to Hungary — not Ukraine’s inability to wave a magic wand and fix the problem overnight.

So this campaign is obviously a ploy — an act of desperation — on Orban’s part, in hopes of saving his job. In the meantime, poor Ukraine is again being made the scapegoat for Russia’s actions . . . first from Donald Trump, and now from Viktor Orban.

So sorry, President Zelensky. It seems as though you just can’t catch a break. Let’s hope the voters in Hungary will do the right thing, and remove at least one albatross from around your neck so that you can concentrate on saving your country.

*. *. *

But perhaps the bigger problem is not Orban himself, but the willingness — indeed, the eagerness — of two allegedly opposing sides to cooperate in taking advantage of his vulnerability for their own purposes: Russia and the United States.

Consider this:

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump each hope to put an end to the war in Ukraine, regardless of the cost to Ukraine’s future — Putin to gain territory and begin rebuilding Russia’s economy, and Trump for the bragging rights as the “Peace President.” And Viktor Orban, who desperately needs all the help he can get, seems to have no problem in being used by both of them, as long as he gets his oil and keeps his job.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/13/26

I marvel at the ability of the members of the White House Press Corps to maintain proper decorum in the face of the endless stream of lies they are fed on a daily basis by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. I know myself well enough to be certain that I would be banned for life after attending a single press conference, because I am constitutionally unable to tolerate bullshit.

And I have found the perfect one-liner to guarantee my banishment:

“I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.”

– William F. Buckley, Jr.

It would be a career ender, for sure . . . but it would be oh, so satisfying.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/12/26

All politicians are part actors. To be elected to office, they know they must appeal to a constituency in search of a particular type of leader, according to the needs of the day: whether tough and courageous, kind and empathetic, witty and charismatic, or scholarly and statesmanlike. And to do their jobs, they must also be adept at dealing with people of a variety of temperaments.

But few are as skilled at changing character so quickly, or manipulating others so easily, as Vladimir Putin. And — fortunately for the world — even fewer are as innately evil in the application of those skills as he is.

From the above montage of photographs of Putin as a boy, as a young KGB officer, and as President of the Russian Federation, he appears to be little changed over the years: sullen, introverted, even sad. But he has proven that behind that face is a sharp intellect and a fierce determination that has carried him from a disadvantaged childhood to the pinnacle of power.

Among his many talents is the ability to analyze the character and mentality of an adversary or competitor and to turn that knowledge to his own advantage. Such has been the case with Donald Trump, whom he has consistently manipulated through the simple use of flattery and a pretense at having a shared interest in building a mutually-profitable trade relationship for the future, thus appealing to two of Trump’s most dominant character flaws: ego and greed.

Most recently, as Trump’s disastrous invasion of Iran has cut off oil supplies from the Middle East and upended the world’s economy, Putin — immediately recognizing the opportunity for Russia to fill the gap from its vast oil resources — managed once again to convince Trump to ease existing sanctions, including those against India, one of the major remaining purchasers of Russian energy.

On its face, that might seem simply to be enviable business acumen on Putin’s part . . . except that he has also offered to mediate the conflict with Iran. According to the Kremlin, in a telephone conversation with Trump on Monday, Putin “expressed several thoughts aimed at a swift diplomatic resolution of the Iran conflict, based among other things on contacts with leaders of Gulf states, the president of Iran, and leaders of other countries.” [Steve Rosenberg, BBC, March 10, 2026.]

Aside from the irony of the instigator of a four-year-old war of attrition against Ukraine offering himself up as a peacemaker in another conflict, there is the newly-acquired evidence that the Kremlin has been furnishing Iran with intelligence on the locations and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft. And this week, Putin unabashedly reaffirmed Moscow’s “unwavering support” for Iran, based on the two countries’ existing “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” agreement [id.] — hardly the actions of a neutral third party.

But despite the decades-long history of Putin’s duplicity, Trump continues to take him at his word, saying on Monday following their telephone call that Putin “wants to be helpful.” [Id.]

The entire world has Vladimir Putin’s number — everyone, that is, except Donald Trump, who continues to rely on the “Beavis and Butthead” of international diplomacy — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — to bring Putin to the table for serious peace discussions.

What none of them realize is that they are dealing, not with a merely difficult opponent, but with a many-headed hydra who will eventually eat them alive.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/12/26

I was a young adult in the ‘60s — old enough to avoid the lure of the “sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll” mania, but young enough to enjoy the new sense of youthful freedom . . . and most of all, the peace movement.

That decade not only ushered in the age of rock; it also saw a resurgence of American folk music from singers like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins; and groups like the Kingston Trio, the Brothers Four, the Weavers, Simon & Garfunkel, the immortal Peter, Paul & Mary; and so many others.

I was listening to some of that great music the other day, and was newly moved by one of my favorites from those years: “Blowin’ in the Wind,” written by Bob Dylan but made famous by Peter, Paul & Mary’s recording of it. And it seemed so relevant, I thought I’d bring the lyrics back to you today . . . for those old enough to remember it fondly, as well as those too young to have heard it the first time around:

How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?

How many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?

How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?

How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind.

– “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Bob Dylan, 1963

Thanks to all of those minstrels of the ‘60s for the good times, and for their attempts at bringing the world to its senses. Unfortunately, we’re still waiting for the answer to the question . . .

“How many times?”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/11/26

I once stayed up all night to finish reading Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel, “The Da Vinci Code.” (The Tom Hanks movie was also excellent . . . but then, I’d watch Tom Hanks if he acted in a Jell-o commercial.)

Recently, I decided to catch up on a couple of other books by Dan Brown that I had missed along the way, and am now about 100 pages into “Inferno.” Based on the title, you can probably guess that it references the epic poem of the same name written in the 14th century by Dante Alighieri as part of his immortal trilogy, “The Divine Comedy.”

And that started me thinking about all of the people alive today who would be the most likely candidates for consignment to Dante’s imaginary hell: murderers, rapists, most politicians, autocrats, oligarchs, co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, an occasional insurance adjuster, and one or two ex-boyfriends.

But how to determine which circle each of the vile creatures belonged in? So I did a little reading and gave it some thought; and it turns out that the worst of them — the ones on my list, in any event — would actually qualify for multiple levels of eternal agony. So let’s play a little game: I’ll just identify the nine circles, and let you draw up your own list of sinners and reach your own conclusions:

• First Circle (Limbo): This is just for “virtuous pagans and unbaptized people” who cannot enter Heaven, but must experience eternal longing. (That might be good for those ex-boyfriends.)
• Second Circle (Lust): Souls are blown about by violent, hurricane-like winds, representing their being “swept away” by passion.
• Third Circle (Gluttony): Sinners wallow in freezing, putrid slush and rain, watched over by Cerberus.

• Fourth Circle (Greed): The hoarding and wasting of possessions causes souls to clash with huge weights.
• Fifth Circle (Wrath): The angry fight each other on the surface of the River Styx, while the sullen gurgle beneath the mud.
• Sixth Circle (Heresy): Those who challenged religious doctrines are trapped in flaming tombs.
• Seventh Circle (Violence): Divided into three rings for violence against neighbors (boiling blood), self (forest of thorns), and God/Nature (burning sand).
• Eighth Circle (Fraud): Known as Malebolge, this contains ten ditches for types of fraud, including panderers, flatterers, sorcerers, thieves, and hypocrites.
• Ninth Circle (Treachery): A frozen lake called Cocytus, where traitors are frozen in ice. It is divided into four zones: Caina (kin), Antenora (country), Ptolomea (guests), and Judecca (masters).
• Center of Hell: Where Satan himself is frozen waist-deep, eternally chewing on Brutus, Cassius, and Judas Iscariot.

*. *. *

Well, that takes care of my list. Who said online game-playing was a waste of time? I, for one, found it oddly therapeutic. Who needs Dungeons & Dragons when you’ve got Dante?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/11/26

For four years, valid criticism has been aimed at Vladimir Putin for, among many other things, his use of foreign military and paramilitary troops in pursuit of his war against Ukraine — troops from North Korea, India, Nepal, Cuba, and various African countries.

Now — in exactly the same style — Donald Trump is considering recruiting Kurdish groups located in Iraq who are opposed to the Iranian regime, arming them to deploy as “boots on the ground” in his illegal war against Iran, saying on March 5th:

“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that. I’d be all for it.” [Kian Sharifi, RFE/RL, March 8, 2026.]

Tehran then intensified attacks on Iranian Kurdish camps located across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, following which Trump quickly reversed position, telling reporters that he does “not want the Kurds to go into Iran [because the war is] complicated enough as it is.” [Id.]

But it may not matter what Trump wants. According to Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Dutch author, journalist and analyst specializing in Kurdish affairs, the Iranian Kurdish groups are cautious about becoming involved in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran because of their past experience in Syria. [Id.]

After aiding the U.S. in the fight against ISIS, the Kurds were abandoned in 2019 by the first Trump administration — much as the Mujahideen had been left to their own devices in Afghanistan in 1989 after working with the U.S. to topple the Soviet occupiers. Now, van Wilgenburg believes, if an approach were to be made by the U.S., the Kurds would insist on guarantees of political recognition in exchange for their assistance — guarantees that Trump would likely not be able to deliver. [Id.]

So the whole issue may be moot. But the point is, here we have Trump once again displaying thought processes exactly mirroring those of his friend Vladimir Putin.

Speaking of whom . . .

It was no surprise to anyone when Putin gloated over the opportunity, dropped into his lap by Trump’s disastrous attack on Iran, to increase Russia’s oil sales in the wake of the near-total shutdown of exports from the Middle East.

And Putin must be doing a dance of joy as Trump announces that he is giving serious consideration to lifting some sanctions on Russia to allow increased exports, in order to ease the worldwide surge in fuel prices and the imminent oil shortage that he himself created when he decided to invade Iran.

Of course Putin is thrilled! Why wouldn’t he be? And how does he thank Trump?

Well . . . Putin being Putin . . . he turns around and provides Iran with intelligence on the locations and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft, much of it in the form of imagery from Moscow’s overhead satellites.

Meanwhile, with the money to be gleaned from the new demand for Russian oil, Putin continues his own assault on Ukraine . . . all while claiming that what he really wants is peace.

You just can’t make this shit up!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/10/26

I thought I had caught up with the Feenstra family on their driving tour of the southeastern United States last week, but I was mistaken. It turns out that recent posts by Arend Feenstra had actually been filmed a couple of weeks earlier, as revealed in a surprise YouTube “Short” video featuring wife Anneesa yesterday.

Facing the camera, she tells us that she realizes they haven’t kept their viewers updated as regularly as usual, and that some of their videos have been delayed. She then explained — well, perhaps “explained” is overstating it — that Arend is not presently with them, and hasn’t been for two weeks.

Happily, my initial concern that he might have been taken ill or injured was proven wrong. Anneesa said that he has been “working hard,” and that she is with the younger children at a campground — though she wouldn’t disclose exactly where.

At the time of filming, they were on a nature hike. From the looks of this little guy (below), encountered along their stroll, my guess would be somewhere in Florida.

Anneesa offered one final statement, that they were looking forward to being back on their farm in Russia “very, very soon,” and that was it.

As I’ve said before, this whole trip has been somewhat mysterious. Not that the family are required to share every detail of their lives with their viewers — it would be intrusive to expect them to do so. But from the beginning, when they arrived in Russia two years ago, they have been very open, sharing their happy events and their difficulties as though they were chatting with their closest friends. And suddenly — although they have brought us along with them on this journey — there has been an obvious reluctance to discuss the how and why of it, other than the initial visit to family in Ontario.

At any rate, as I’ve said before, I’ve grown very fond of the Feenstra clan and look forward to following the next chapters in their lives. Keep those videos coming, guys.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/10/26

You know the old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

Listening to the recent Congressional testimony of various members of the Trump administration, that much-repeated truism has become even more relevant. Shame on all of us for continuing to allow ourselves to be ruled by a band of charlatans the likes of which even Shakespeare never imagined!

Some 400 years ago, French mathematician, philosopher, scientist and logician Rene Descartes said it far more eloquently:

“It is only prudent never to place complete confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived.”

– Rene Descartes, “Meditations on First Philosophy”

Once again, the wisdom of the ancients has proven prescient. When will we begin to pay attention?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/10/26

As I wrote earlier today about the recent death of a Russian man revealed to have been named in the Epstein files, I thought about how little we humans truly know each other, and how easily we are deceived . . . especially by those in positions of prominence and power.

And this quote from the ancient Greek scholar and author of nearly 100 tragedies, Euripides, seems particularly relevant:

“When one with honeyed words but evil mind / Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.”

– Euripides, “Orestes”

And now, two and a half millennia later, his words have lost none of their meaning.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/9/26