I’ve often wondered how frequent flyers keep track of where they are when they wake up in the morning in yet another Marriott hotel that looks just like every other Marriott hotel in the world. But hopefully, although it may take a moment to remember where they are, they at least know who they are, and what country issued their passport.

Vasyl Verameychyk, on the other hand, might have a more serious problem: that of figuring out where he belongs, and whether his passport will be considered valid on any given day.

A very brief report in yesterday’s news opened with this sentence:

“Vietnam has extradited a Belarusian national who fought as a volunteer in Ukraine on Kyiv’s side to Minsk, Belarusian media reported on November 20.” [RFE/RL, November 20, 2024.]

Wait . . . what?!! How did Vietnam get into the picture?

The report went on to indicate that Vasyl is a Belarusian national who had served in the Belarusian Army for seven years, but joined in the anti-government protests of 2020. Under threat of arrest for his oppositionist activities, he fled to Ukraine, where he then fought as a volunteer against the Russian invasion of 2022 until he was wounded in April of that same year.

He next was denied permission to settle in Lithuania due to his former Belarusian Army service — the Lithuanian government being understandably wary of anyone from a Russian puppet state. So he moved to Vietnam.

Why Vietnam? Good question. The article doesn’t provide that information, and I’m having a really difficult time trying to imagine the mental leap that carried Vasyl from the Baltics to a Southeast Asian country that has drawn ever closer to Russia in recent years, and since 2022 — at the Kremlin’s request — has deported several Russian citizens living in Vietnam because they criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But there he was, when Aleksandr Lukashenko — self-proclaimed president of Belarus — apparently had no trouble convincing the Vietnamese authorities to extradite Vasyl back to Minsk last month to face as-yet-unspecified charges, despite international appeals having been lodged in his behalf.

Today, a statement was issued from the office of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, condemning the extradition and placing the blame squarely where it belongs — on Lukashenko’s relentless targeting of his opponents, whether inside or outside of Belarus. [RFE/RL, November 21, 2024.] Clearly, he takes his cues from his Russian patron.

The statement also advises Belarusians living abroad to “remain vigilant against potential actions by Lukashenka’s [sic] security services.” [Id.]

Poor Vasyl; the warning comes too late for him. He did nothing more than express his opposition to an illegal, immoral war. And for that, he found himself stateless: wanted by Belarus, unwanted by Lithuania, and hunted down in Vietnam.

There really is no way to run far enough, or anywhere safe enough to hide in this world.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/21/24

You may have noticed two posts today, identical but for the titles and the first pictures. The reason is that Facebook — on which I share my blog posts — removed the first one, claiming it didn’t meet their criteria. It was titled “I Have An Incredible New Job,” and featured side-by-side photos of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. I guess someone at FB found that offensive. I consider it censorship — and I find that offensive!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka

I have been watching with unbridled envy as one unqualified person after another . . . after another . . . after another . . . wins a coveted spot on the incoming Trump administration’s Cabinet — subject, of course, to Congressional approval, which shouldn’t be much of a problem considering the makeup of the incoming Congress.

And the one appointment that strikes me as the most original is not actually a Cabinet position, but the new DOGE — Department of Government Efficiency — which, because of its unique status as “non-governmental,” apparently will avoid having to undergo the usual vetting process. This, of course, is most fortunate for Elon Musk, who now doesn’t have to worry about all those pesky conflict of interest issues.

(Incidentally, does it strike anyone else as a little too coincidental that the definition of “doge” includes “president,” “chief of state,” “commander in chief,” “grand vizier,” and “person in charge”?)

Anyway, I’ve decided that, being at least as qualified (though clearly not as wealthy) as any of the appointees named thus far, I deserve a seat at the table as well. I’m a native-born American citizen, well over 21 years of age, reasonably intelligent; I have excellent spelling and grammatical skills, most of my marbles, and — unlike any of the others — I still possess a scruple or two.

Therefore, I have accepted the position — which I magnanimously offered myself just a few hours ago — of Chairman of the Committee to Rewrite the English-language Dictionary . . . also known, in typical Washington acronym fashion, as CRED.

And in case you’re wondering about my “creds” for the position as Chairman of CRED . . . well, not to worry. I’ve already vetted myself, and I can assure you that I’ve never had an affair with or been hit on by Donald Trump, Elon Musk, or Sean “Diddy” Combs; never been represented in a legal matter by Rudy Giuliani; and never met with Vladimir Putin or any member of his inner circle, especially not Dmitry Peskov.

In other words, I’m dull as dishwater.

But I do have a great many ideas for the re-write of the English-language dictionary, which — as I am sure you will agree — is essential to the new administration’s goal of tearing down every facet of the structure that has made America the model of freedom and democracy it has been for the past 248 years, and the capitalist economy on which most of the world’s economies rely.

So without further ado, I give you just a small sampling of what we have to look forward to (not in alphabetical or any other specific order).

*. *. *

Truth. Previous definitions included such outmoded ideas as “accuracy,” “fact,” “veracity,” and “principle.” The new definition shall be: “Whatever any current member of the Trump administration declares it to be.”

Honor, Honesty. Throughout the centuries, words have passed in and out of use. The time has come for all forms of these two to go, and they shall henceforth be stricken from the new dictionary.

Altruism. Formerly defined as “selflessness,” “benevolence,” “magnanimity,” “public spirit,” and “social conscience,” the revised definition shall be: “Whatever any current member of the Trump administration decides is best for the Trump administration.”

Fiscal Responsibility. Forget any ridiculous prior concept of this term. It is now: “Whatever is required to make the rich richer, and the rest of us irrelevant.”

Patriotism. Another one of those words whose usefulness has failed to evolve over time, and is now obsolete. Out it goes.

As I said, this is just an inkling of what you have to look forward to from my Committee (whose subordinate members have yet to be chosen, but will undoubtedly include a spelling champion such as Dan Quayle, and hopefully a grammarian on the order of Arnold Schwarzenegger).

But there is one more word that I must include here, because it is, as we all know, of supreme importance to Donald Trump himself. And that word is:

Loyalty. The definition itself will not change; it will still mean “allegiance,” “devotion,” “fealty,” “obedience,” etc. However, it will now be strictly a one-way concept, i.e., loyalty to Donald Trump.

Just don’t expect it to be reciprocated.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/21/24

I have been watching with unbridled envy as one unqualified person after another . . . after another . . . after another . . . wins a coveted spot on the incoming Trump administration’s Cabinet — subject, of course, to Congressional approval, which shouldn’t be much of a problem considering the makeup of the incoming Congress.

And the one appointment that strikes me as the most original is not actually a Cabinet position, but the new DOGE — Department of Government Efficiency — which, because of its unique status as “non-governmental,” apparently will avoid having to undergo the usual vetting process. This, of course, is most fortunate for Elon Musk, who now doesn’t have to worry about all those pesky conflict of interest issues.

(Incidentally, does it strike anyone else as a little too coincidental that the definition of “doge” includes “president,” “chief of state,” “commander in chief,” “grand vizier,” and “person in charge”?)

Anyway, I’ve decided that, being at least as qualified (though clearly not as wealthy) as any of the appointees named thus far, I deserve a seat at the table as well. I’m a native-born American citizen, well over 21 years of age, reasonably intelligent; I have excellent spelling and grammatical skills, most of my marbles, and — unlike any of the others — I still possess a scruple or two.

Therefore, I have accepted the position — which I magnanimously offered myself just a few hours ago — of Chairman of the Committee to Rewrite the English-language Dictionary . . . also known, in typical Washington acronym fashion, as CRED.

And in case you’re wondering about my “creds” for the position as Chairman of CRED . . . well, not to worry. I’ve already vetted myself, and I can assure you that I’ve never had an affair with or been hit on by Donald Trump, Elon Musk, or Sean “Diddy” Combs; never been represented in a legal matter by Rudy Giuliani; and never met with Vladimir Putin or any member of his inner circle, especially not Dmitry Peskov.

In other words, I’m dull as dishwater.

But I do have a great many ideas for the re-write of the English-language dictionary, which — as I am sure you will agree — is essential to the new administration’s goal of tearing down every facet of the structure that has made America the model of freedom and democracy it has been for the past 248 years, and the capitalist economy on which most of the world’s economies rely.

So without further ado, I give you just a small sampling of what we have to look forward to (not in alphabetical or any other specific order).

*. *. *

Truth. Previous definitions included such outmoded ideas as “accuracy,” “fact,” “veracity,” and “principle.” The new definition shall be: “Whatever any current member of the Trump administration declares it to be.”

Honor, Honesty. Throughout the centuries, words have passed in and out of use. The time has come for all forms of these two to go, and they shall henceforth be stricken from the new dictionary.

Altruism. Formerly defined as “selflessness,” “benevolence,” “magnanimity,” “public spirit,” and “social conscience,” the revised definition shall be: “Whatever any current member of the Trump administration decides is best for the Trump administration.”

Fiscal Responsibility. Forget any ridiculous prior concept of this term. It is now: “Whatever is required to make the rich richer, and the rest of us irrelevant.”

Patriotism. Another one of those words whose usefulness has failed to evolve over time, and is now obsolete. Out it goes.

As I said, this is just an inkling of what you have to look forward to from my Committee (whose subordinate members have yet to be chosen, but will undoubtedly include a spelling champion such as Dan Quayle, and hopefully a grammarian on the order of Arnold Schwarzenegger).

But there is one more word that I must include here, because it is, as we all know, of supreme importance to Donald Trump himself. And that word is:

Loyalty. The definition itself will not change; it will still mean “allegiance,” “devotion,” “fealty,” “obedience,” etc. However, it will now be strictly a one-way concept, i.e., loyalty to Donald Trump.

Just don’t expect it to be reciprocated.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/21/24

Today is the 1001st day of the war in Ukraine — the war that Russia said was never going to happen, even as it mobilized its forces on the border near the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine in February of 2022. Until, on February 24th, it did happen . . . Vladimir Putin labeling it a “special military operation” to support breakaway elements falsely claiming persecution by alleged neo-Nazi Ukrainian leaders — a leadership in actuality headed by a mild-mannered Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

I would say that you can’t make this stuff up . . . only Putin did just that. The entire war — all 1,000 days of it — has been based on a fiction designed to camouflage . . . though not at all convincingly . . . his mad empirical ambition to “reclaim” sovereign territory and reunite the former Soviet republics.

And in that 1,000-day span, he has caused the deaths and maiming of no fewer than half a million people — civilian as well as military, on both sides of the conflict — and laid waste to vast regions of a peaceful nation. He has torn families apart, forced millions to flee their lifelong homes, ripped children from the arms of their parents.

He is a murderer, a war criminal, an evil excuse for a human being. He is the 21st Century’s Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden combined. And still he sits in the Kremlin, imprisoning his own people under onerous new laws . . . and threatening Ukraine and its allies with the “nuclear option.”

And the world holds its collective breath and wonders . . .

What will happen next?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/20/24

This is not about a Kingston Trio folk song from the 1960s, though I admit that the melody is now stuck in my head. I’ll be humming it for the next couple of days, unless someone plays “All I Want For Christmas Is You” again.

But this is about real soldiers — missing ones.

The independent news source Novaya Gazeta Europe reports that 1,010 soldiers — 858 professionals, 150 draftees from the 2022 mobilization, and two conscripts — have deserted from a single division, based in the Volgograd region, that has been deployed in Ukraine since the start of the war nearly three years ago. [Novaya Gazeta Europe, November 19, 2024.]

The original source of the information is IStories, another independent news outlet, which in turn cited a document sent to Russian regional authorities in the spring of this year by the command of the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the Russian Ground Forces. IStories wrote:

“Over 1,000 men have abandoned just one division, while there are at least two dozen divisions involved in the war of Ukraine.” [Id.]

This, IStories says, could indicate a huge number of missing troops.

One soldier was quoted as saying that many of the men had gone AWOL early in the war, when they realized it was going to last “longer than two weeks,” as they said they had been promised by their commanding officers. [Id.]

Naturally, no official figures concerning deserters — in fact, no negative data concerning anything — are disclosed by the Russian authorities. During the first six months following the February 24, 2022, invasion, professional soldiers were able to terminate their contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense — though many were coerced or threatened into staying. Since September 2022, however, all such contracts have been open-ended.

*. *. *

Aside from the question of why this is happening — why the Russian troops are deserting in such unusually large numbers — there is another question that is driving me crazy:

Where the hell are they??!!!

Seriously, where and how do 1,000 or more Russian soldiers hide in Ukraine? Have they been taken prisoner? And if so, why haven’t the Ukrainian authorities publicized it? Did they manage to sneak into other countries bordering Ukraine? And, being Russian — being the enemy — wouldn’t that also have been reported? Have they formed a commune in the Carpathian Mountains? Joined Donald Trump’s transition team? Or Elon Musk’s SpaceX program?

Surely they wouldn’t have returned to Russia to face arrest.

It’s a mystery, for certain. And if anyone has the answer, I’d really like to know where all those soldiers have gone.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/20/24

I’m writing this on November 19th — the date in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln stood on a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and spoke the words that would not only inspire a nation at war with itself, but would echo through the years to inspire future generations of Americans, both at war and in times of peace.

Now, 161 years later, our country is facing increasing external threats from foreign enemies, as well as internal changes that threaten our very ability to protect ourselves from those enemies. The world of 2024 is vastly different from Lincoln’s: our enemies are closer, in terms of travel time; and our weaponry is no longer limited to the musket and the cannon.

What our country needs, now more than ever before, is unity. What we have instead, and are facing to an even greater extent in the immediate future, is divisiveness of a magnitude not seen since Lincoln’s time. And we need a government that will stop fomenting anger and hatred, and instead concentrate on standing up to external foes . . . rather than pandering to them for personal advantage.

So, on this anniversary — and just a week after our Veterans Day remembrance — I thought it would be appropriate to repeat a portion of Lincoln’s address to the troops at Gettysburg . . . lest we forget:

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here, have, thus far, so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

“. . . of the people, by the people, for the people . . .”

As my grandmother used to say (and as I have quoted many times in the past): From his mouth to God’s ears.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/20/24

. . . that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Vladimir Putin played dirty. He had his North Korean friend, Kim Jong Un, send 11,000 troops to fight with the Russians in Ukraine. According to Putin’s own philosophy, that calls for a response. But Ukraine doesn’t have the option of calling on outsiders to do their work for them.

So why is the aggressor surprised when his victims fight back with the only means available to them? Has Putin seen the devastation his weapons have caused in Ukraine? The civilians he has slaughtered? The hell he has created for a peaceable nation that was no threat to him?

Ukraine’s missile struck an ammunition warehouse — a legitimate military target — not a school, or an apartment building, or a maternity hospital.

Paybacks are hell, Mr. Putin. You started this. And Ukraine isn’t anywhere near to being even yet — nor do they want to be. It’s time for you to stop whining, admit the monstrous crimes you have committed, and call an end to it.

You want to be a hero? It’s simple: First be a mensch.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka

11/19/24

Not surprisingly, the Kremlin’s reaction to yesterday’s White House announcement — that permission had been granted to Ukraine for the use of U.S. long-range missiles to defend against Russia’s continuing attacks — was immediate, vicious, and escalatory.

The Russian government’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper said on its website on Monday morning that “Departing US president Joe Biden … has taken one of the most provocative, uncalculated decisions of his administration, which risks catastrophic consequences.” [Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, November 18, 2024.]

Member of the Russian Parliament Leonid Slutsky said that the U.S. decision would “inevitably lead to a serious escalation, threatening serious consequences.” [Id.]

And, taking it a step further, Russian Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov called it “an unprecedented step towards World War Three.” [Id.]

On a less threatening note, the pro-Kremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda labeled it a “predictable escalation.” [Id.]

And then we heard from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who told journalists:

“. . . if such a decision has been taken it means a whole new spiral of tension and a whole new situation with regard to US involvement in this conflict,” and accused the current U.S. administration of “adding fuel to the fire and continuing to stoke tension around this conflict.” [Id.]

As always, Mr. Peskov manages to overlook a few facts, such as:

• Who started the war (a.k.a. “Special Military Operation”) in 2022? — That would be Vladimir Putin.
• Who, for nearly three years, has systematically targeted the infrastructure and civilian areas of a sovereign nation that was not bothering anyone, causing hundreds of thousands of combined civilian and military casualties? — That, again, would be Putin.
• Who has brought in foreign military troops to support its own, as well as mercenaries and former prisoners convicted of the most violent crimes? — You’ve got it: Putin.
• But who screams bloody murder when Ukraine receives support from its allies? — That wouldn’t be Putin, would it? Well . . . yes, it would.
• And who cries like a baby when their victim, Ukraine, dares to strike back on Russian territory? — Oh, please! Do I really have to answer this one?
  

But never mind the war of words. What might Russia actually do as a result of this new development? Reading Vladimir Putin’s mind is a guessing-game at best. But back in June, when asked by journalists what he might do if Ukraine were given the ability to hit targets on Russian soil with weapons supplied by Europe, this is what he replied:

“First, we will, of course, improve our air defence systems. We will be destroying their missiles. Second, we believe that if someone is thinking it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to strike our territory and create problems for us, why can’t we supply our weapons of the same class to those regions around the world where they will target sensitive facilities of the countries that are doing this to Russia?” [Id.]

That’s fairly straightforward, wouldn’t you say?

And more recently, Putin’s ally, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, had this to say to BBC’s Steve Rosenberg:

“I warned them [Western officials]. ‘Guys, be careful with those long-range missiles.’

“The Houthi [rebels] might come to Putin and ask for coastal weapons systems that can carry out terrifying strikes on ships. And if he gets his revenge on you for supplying long-range weapons to [President] Zelensky by supplying the Houthis with the Bastion missile system? What happens if an aircraft carrier is hit? A British or American one. What then?”
[Id.]

Chilling words. Is it any wonder, then, that Poland has established a NATO-integrated missile defense base in its northern regions? Or that Sweden and Finland are giving their citizens instructions on “how to survive a war”?

*. *. *

But there is another factor to consider in attempting to assess Vladimir Putin’s state of mind: the Trump Factor.

Joe Biden has just another two months to serve as President of the United States. He has been stalwart in his support of Ukraine; and Vladimir Putin knows — in fact, the whole world knows — that Donald Trump is far less . . . shall we say . . . enthusiastic about continuing that support.

My money is on Putin simply waiting out the next two months, relying on his ability — whether real or perceived — to manipulate Trump in ways that he has been unable to do with President Biden.

If I’m right, it wouldn’t be the best-case scenario for Ukraine — though it’s certainly not as terrifying as the prospect of World War III.

But then, nothing is. And Vladimir Putin knows it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/19/24

Meet Margret Chola, a fun-loving grandmother in her mid-80s from rural Zambia, whose granddaughter, Diana Kaumba, happens to be a stylist based in New York City.

In a spirited moment one day when Diana was in Zambia visiting her “Mbuya” (“grandmother,” in the local Bemba language), the two women began playing dress-up with some of Diana’s fashion creations. Seeing how fabulous Mbuya looked in the stylish outfits, Diana thought it would be fun to photograph her, on her farm outside of the capital city of Lusaka, and to post some of the pictures online.

The first ten minutes after posting brought 1,000 or so likes, and today Margret Chola is known to the world as “Legendary Glamma,” with 225,000 Instagram followers. Of her new role, she says:

“I feel different, I feel new and alive in these clothes, in a way that I’ve never felt before. I feel like I can conquer the world!” [Penny Dale, BBC, November 15, 2024.]

Diana says she hopes their Granny Series will highlight that older people still have a lot to offer:

“Do not write them off, love them just the same till the end because remember we will be just like them one day.” [Id.]

Mbuya’s life has been a difficult one. But she urges people to “live their lives and not worry about being judged by society.” She says you can “always forgive yourself for whatever mistakes you made. You can never change your past — but you can change your future. . . . I’m now able to wake up with a purpose knowing that people around the world love to see me.” [Id.]

This beautiful, vibrant, spunky lady is my new role model. Keep it going, Mbuya.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/18/24

[Photos from CNN, 11/15/24]