The generation of Americans who lived through, and still remember, the McCarthy Hearings of the 1950s is rapidly shrinking and will soon also fade into memory. But — like the Holocaust, Watergate, and other monumental events — we must not allow the historic records of those tragedies to be erased, for if we do, they will most certainly be repeated.

Joseph McCarthy was a United States Senator from the state of Wisconsin, who, in the early years of the Cold War following World War II, became obsessed with the belief that the U.S. government, educational institutions, and even the film industry were riddled with communists attempting to undermine and overthrow the government.

On this date — February 9th — in 1950, he began what would become his notorious “Red Scare” crusade when he delivered a speech before the Ohio County Women’s Republican Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, during which he waved a sheet of paper in the air and declared:

“I have here in my hand a list of 205 [State Department employees] that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department.” [“This Day in History,” History.com, February 9, 2026.]

Over the course of the next four years, his repeated — though unverified — accusations, carried out to the world through televised Senate hearings, destroyed the lives of countless innocent people, including government officials, academicians, and movie stars. He was finally stopped and censured by the Senate in 1954. He died in 1957 at the age of 48 — officially of “Hepatitis, acute, cause unknown,” though there were rumors that his decline into alcoholism was the real cause. [Joseph McCarthy biography, Wikipedia.]

“McCarthyism” entered the English lexicon as a reference to extreme anti-communist activities. Eventually, its usage broadened to signify demagogic, reckless and unsubstantiated accusations, along with public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents. [Id.]

And that is the lesson to be learned, and reinforced, from the madness of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Whatever his original intent — whether a sincere desire to protect the country from a perceived communist infiltration, or his own narcissistic political ambition — his method was not new; it had been used by demagogues and authoritarians throughout history, and continues to this day. It is, quite simply:

Repeat it often enough, with sufficient authority, and the people will begin to believe. Instill in them a fear of something they are helpless to control; convince them that you have the answers and the solution; and they will follow you.

Sound familiar?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/26

Indian-born, British-American author Salman Rushdie has seen more than his share of adversity in his lifetime, which inclines me to heed his advice in dealing with the low points in life:

“It was the resilience in human beings that represented their best chance of survival, their ability to look the unimaginable, the unconscionable, the unprecedented in the eye.”

– Salman Rushdie, “Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights”

Our resilience is being tested today as never before in my memory. I only hope we have the strength and the courage to stand up to the evil and not just look it in the eye . . . but also to spit in it, stand up to it, and defeat it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/26

Last week brought us another bombardment of news that ranged from merely bad, to really terrible, to mind-blowingly disgusting. It has left me too mentally exhausted to reexamine any of the stories in depth, so I thought I’d start this week with a brief roundup of the past weekend’s biggest news stories.

The Olympics. Let’s begin with something uplifting. Did you see the Free Dance performance of Evan Bates and Madison Chock? Not since 1984, when Britain’s Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean brought down the house to Ravel’s Bolero, have I witnessed such technical perfection, synchronization, and personal magnetism in a skating couple. In fact, though I never would have thought it possible, Chock and Bates’ fiercely passionate dance has set an entirely new standard of excellence and beauty.

Sadly, American skier Lindsey Vonn, recently out of surgery for repair of a torn ACL of her left knee, crashed on her first downhill run. She was airlifted to a hospital, where she underwent surgery for a leg fracture, said to be a possible career-ender for the 41-year-old. Best wishes to Lindsey for a speedy recovery.

*. *. *

The “Dmitriev Package.” So named by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Russian envoy and money-man Kirill Dmitriev, it refers to a $12 trillion economic proposal that Zelensky says has been presented by Russia to the U.S. as part of the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. This comes to light as the Trump administration increases the pressure on Ukraine to bring an end to the war by June, while Moscow increases its bombardments and continues to insist that Ukraine cede approximately 20% of its sovereign territory to Russia. [The Associated Press, February 7, 2026.]

*. *. *

The Middle East. It’s all about Iran right now; and honestly, it’s too complex to wrap my head around on a Monday. Maybe later.

There is still the Gaza issue, of course; but we’ll no doubt be hearing more from Trump’s “Board of Peace” on that score when they meet in Washington on February 19th.

*. *. *

The Caucasus Region. Simply put — although there is nothing simple about the history or politics of that corner of the former Soviet Union — Armenia and Azerbaijan are in, and Georgia is out. At least, that’s what Donald Trump is indicating. Stay tuned.

*. *. *

The White House. It’s still standing . . . well, two-thirds of it, anyway, minus the East Wing. Rumor briefly had it that Lincoln’s ghost was back, pacing the floor in his former bedroom and carrying some sort of torch. But it turned out to be the glow from Trump’s phone as he furiously spewed his nightly ration of venom into cyberspace, and then hastened to delete some of it (you know the part I’m talking about). Has anyone ever explained to him that you can’t un-ring a bell?

*. *. *

And finally . . .

The Epstein Files. They’re like cockroaches, in so many ways. It’s not only that they’re vile and disgusting, which of course they are; but it’s also the speed with which they multiply! And now a whole new nest has been discovered, containing material deposited by friends of Epstein from various parts of the world, including the UK and Russia. If this were a TV or movie script, it would probably be dismissed as too grotesque to appeal even to the most whacked-out audience. But it’s not fiction. It’s real, it’s tragic, and it makes me want to vomit.

And it shows no sign of ending any time soon.

*. *. *

So . . . Happy Monday, folks. I think it’s going to be a double-Haagen-Dazs day.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/9/26

Perhaps since the beginning of time, but certainly for as long as I can recall, men have been obsessed with “bigness” as a measure of their success in life and of their very masculinity: the size of their homes, their cars and boats, their bank accounts and investment portfolios, their wives’ bosoms, their . . .

Okay, you get the point.

World leaders are no different from the guy next door, except that the scope of their obsession with size is . . . well . . . even larger. It extends to the expanse of their territory, their military forces, and even their conference room tables.

But an event that occurred on this date in 1904 should serve as a reminder to Vladimir Putin that, at least when it comes to winning wars, size isn’t everything.

On February 8, 1904, the (comparatively) tiny island nation of Japan invaded the vast Empire of Russia over a dispute concerning the territories of Manchuria and Korea. In a move that would be repeated by their air force nearly four decades later at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Japanese navy launched a surprise attack against the Russian naval base at Port Arthur, decimating the Russian fleet.

The Russian Tsar at the time, Nicholas II — also, not coincidentally, the last Russian Tsar — was no military genius. He and his forces seriously underestimated the Japanese military capabilities. In the ensuing months, Russia suffered three major defeats: the fall of Port Arthur to Admiral Heihachiro Togo in January 1905; the victory of Japanese Field Marshal Iwao Oyama at Shenyang, China, in March; and the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Togo in May. [“This Day In History,” History.com, February 8, 2026.]

At that point, Russia gave in to Japan’s imperialist drive in East Asia, and in August a peace treaty mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was signed at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The metaphorical “David” had again slain his “Goliath.”

*. *. *

There are two important lessons to be learned from this little bit of history:

First, for Vladimir Putin, who may have forgotten that that defeat by Japan was a major spark that lit the flames of the 1905 Russian Revolution: He thought he could overrun the much smaller and weaker Ukraine in a matter of days, and instead now finds himself entering the fifth year of a war in which he has gained only 20 percent of the territory he had expected to own in its entirety.

Those who forget history . . .

And second, for Donald Trump, who is so frustrated by Barack Obama’s having won a Nobel Peace Prize when the same honor has eluded him: Teddy Roosevelt was also the recipient of the coveted prize, for his role in negotiating the Russo-Japanese peace treaty of 1905.

Nyah, nyah!

Of course, that was a real war, and Roosevelt really did bring it to an end; whereas, the eight “wars” that Trump claims to have ended . . . well, you know. And then there are the ones that he is working so hard to start. But — unlike Putin, who may have chosen to overlook an historic detail or two — Trump was never in possession of the facts in the first place.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/8/26

I’ll say one thing for Donald Trump: he doesn’t let any grass grow under his feet. When he decides to do something, he does it.

Of course, it’s not always the smart thing to do, or even legal. But, like a man who has suddenly come to the realization that he is, after all, a mere mortal with a non-negotiable expiration date, he just plunges ahead in the blind certainty that it will work out because he wants it to.

And it appears that is also the case with his newest brainchild: his “Board of Peace.”

Only unveiled in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, there are about two dozen countries — mostly with authoritarian regimes, and notably excluding most EU nations, the UK, Canada, and Japan — signed on to membership. He has now invited the signatories plus an unknown number of other countries to send their representatives to the Board’s inaugural meeting in Washington on February 19th.

According to a U.S. official and a diplomat from an invited country (both unnamed), the meeting is to be held at the U.S. Institute of Peace (which Trump earlier renamed the “Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace”). [Jennifer Hansler, CNN, February 7, 2026.]

The U.S. official also said that the meeting is intended in part to be a fundraiser; however, they stressed that the details are still being ironed out. At Davos, Trump said that permanent membership on the Board — as opposed to the standard three-year term — was available for the bargain price of $1 billion.

It is unclear at this time how many of the current signatories have plunked down the money; but Vladimir Putin — who has not yet committed Russia to membership — did say that he would consider joining and paying the $1 billion if Trump would release frozen Russian assets.

We’ll see how that goes.

In fact, we’ll see how the whole thing goes. European nations have expressed concern about the true intent of the organization, fearing that Trump may be planning to supplant NATO, the EU, and possibly the United Nations. And considering the roster of initial members,* as well as the fact that the Board’s charter gives total and exclusive control to Trump for life, and the authority to appoint his own successor, their concern appears well founded.

* Members of the Board of Peace to date: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam [Source: “Board of Peace,” Wikipedia.org.]

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/8/26

One summer, many years ago, I decided to take an evening course in Russian literature at the local community college. The course centered specifically on the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky; and over some eight or nine weeks, I read (in English) and critiqued Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Idiot.

Luckily, I had not made any other major plans for that summer.

Russia’s political history is brutal, which is in large part responsible for the depth and angst of her cultural output . . . throughout the ages, so many of the world’s immortals have been at their most creative during periods of abject misery, and none more so than the Russian writers, composers and painters. One would be hard put to find another people who have suffered longer, more deeply, or more consistently.

Dostoyevsky was uniquely insightful with regard to the innate depravity of the human race. He lived in cruel times, and offered no excuse for the baseness of so many of his contemporaries, as in this quotation from my favorite of his works:

“People talk sometimes about the ‘bestial’ cruelty of man, but that is a great injustice and insult to beasts; a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.”

– Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “The Brothers Karamazov”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/8/26

Last week brought an exchange of 314 prisoners — 157 Ukrainians and an equal number of Russians — as the result of the latest round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv at Abu Dhabi. They were prisoners of war, and not political hostages. Nevertheless, they are all — Ukrainians and Russians alike — victims of an unjust war perpetrated by Vladimir Putin’s tyrannical regime, and we celebrate their return to the care of their families.

*. *. *

The names of the returnees are not readily available; but there are indications that some civilians were among those exchanged. This leads me to wonder whether they included a group that I call “The Crimea 8” — a mix of Russian, Ukrainian and Armenian citizens who were involved, possibly innocently, in the delivery of explosives in October of 2022 that detonated while crossing the Russian-built Crimean Bridge connecting the Russian mainland with Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula across the Kerch Strait.

The explosives were hidden in a shipment of rolls of plastic film inside the delivery truck. Despite the fact that they were non-combatants and insisted they had no knowledge of the contents of the shipment, the men were tried in a Russian military court in Rostov, charged with carrying out a terrorist attack and illegal arms trafficking, and treated as prisoners of war.

Their names are Artyom and Georgy Azatyan, Oleg Antipov, Aleksandr Bylin, Vladimir Zloba, Dmitry Tyazhelykh, Roman Solomko, and Artur Terchanyan, and they have been on my list of hostages since their arrest. If anyone has information as to whether they were among those released — either this month or in previous exchanges — I would very much like to know.

*. *. *

In the meantime, they remain among the ranks of political hostages to be remembered on yet another Sunday:

Victims of Greed:

The President, First Lady, and citizens of Venezuela

Europeans Under Threat:

The Nation and the People of Greenland
The people of NATO and EU member states

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 Afghanistan:

Dennis Coyle (American)

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)
David Barnes (American)
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
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 will not be forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/8/26

He has to be the best damn sheriff that ever sat in the saddle.

On Friday, February 6th, Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot and seriously wounded by an anonymous assailant inside his apartment building in the outskirts of Moscow. The attacker fled; Alekseyev was transported to a hospital, where he is said to have undergone surgery and regained consciousness, though his condition is being kept secret.

One day later — today, Saturday, February 7th — it was announced by Russian publication Kommersant that a suspect and an alleged accomplice had been detained for questioning, with a pretrial court hearing scheduled for tomorrow, February 8th. The charges are attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking.

Despite the absence of an official confirmation by Russian government officials, two Telegram news channels — Mash and Baza — have said the shooter is “being transported from Dubai.” [RFE/RL, February 7, 2026.]

Considering the roughly 24-hour window between the time of the shooting and the alleged arrest of suspects, this announcement raises more questions than it answers. And the reference to Dubai is just plain puzzling.

Who are the suspects? (Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has blamed Ukraine for the attack, but without verification.) How were they identified and located so quickly? Were they actually in Dubai, and if so, how did they manage to get there . . . and again, how were they found and apprehended in such a short time?

Either this is an example of the most efficient police work known to mankind, or it’s another classic case of Kremlin coverup. And if the latter . . . well, the obvious question becomes: Why?

I can’t wait to read the next chapter.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/7/26

We need a break from all of the angst . . . at least, I know I do. So I’m going to try to focus part of my time on the sheer apolitical joy of watching the world’s best young athletes as they go for the gold on behalf of their home countries.

And though I am, of course, rooting for my home teams . . .

. . . I also want to give a huge shout-out to the Ukrainians who, under the most difficult conditions imaginable, have somehow managed to continue training and preparing for this event. Their spirit is indeed indomitable, and I wish them the best of luck.

Here’s to two weeks of spirited competition, peace, and brotherhood.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/7/26

I’ve quoted these words of Shakespeare before. But in light of the recent revelations concerning the possible Russian involvement in the Epstein files, I felt it appropriate to bring them back today:

“And thus I clothe my naked villainy / With odd old ends stol’n out of holy writ; / And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.”

– William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act I, Scene 3

Somehow, the Bard always manages to nail it, doesn’t he?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/7/26