November 9, 1989: The day the Berlin Wall came a-tumblin’ down.

It had stood since 1961, ostensibly to prevent Cold War spies from West Berlin entering communist East Berlin . . . though in reality accomplishing just the opposite: keeping the captive East Berliners from fleeing to the free Western sector.

It stood for 28 years, during which time thousands of people did manage to escape. But 140 or more lost their lives while trying to get to the other side of the Wall, many of them shot by the East German border guards. [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, November 8, 2024.]

And then, finally — 35 years ago today — it was breached.

It was partially due to a misunderstanding by an East German spokesman of the new rules concerning issuance of visas to visit the West — rules that had been promulgated in response to increasing protests. The spokesman, Gunter Schabowski, was hastily handed the rules and had no time to review them before his press conference that day. What he read aloud was this:

“Private travel outside the country can now be applied for without prerequisites.”

Pressed by the shocked journalists for verification, he looked through his notes and said that as far as he was aware, it was effective immediately. [BBC, November 4, 2019.]

That was all it took for the crowds of East Berliners to begin heading for the Brandenburg Gate in the city center. The border guard in charge that night, Harald Jager, called his superiors frantically asking for orders, but they neither said to open the gate nor to open fire on the crowd. Fearing a stampede and a possible massacre, he gave the order to open the gate. [Id.]

Throughout that year, movements had been growing in other parts of communist Eastern Europe: in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. And the reformist General Secretary of the Communist Party in Moscow, Mikhail Gorbachev, decided not to use military force against the Eastern Bloc countries outside the Soviet Union itself, in order to avoid potential revolutions.

And history, as it had been known since the time of the Russian Revolution of 1917, reversed course. All of those Eastern Bloc countries (and more) regained their independence; and in just two years, in December of 1991, the Soviet Union itself splintered, creating fifteen additional separate nations. And so it has remained for 33 years.

Until now.

*. *. *

Because today, after three decades of political, economic and social reforms, there are ominous signs of backsliding in some of those Eastern European and former Soviet countries — a trend toward more authoritarian rule . . . toward strengthened relations with Moscow . . . away from Western democracy.

And, as history has so often shown us (if only we had been paying attention), it takes just one determined person, or a small handful of like individuals, to start the rebuilding of that Wall.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/9/24

In 1930, a 12-year-old Russian peasant boy named Pavel (“Pavlik”) Morozov, became a hero of Soviet society by allegedly denouncing his father to the government authorities. (Two years later, he became a martyr of the Soviet state when he was purportedly killed by his family for his “patriotic” actions.) Statues were erected in his honor; he was the darling of the Soviet press, and a role model for Soviet youth for many years.

The fact that the whole story was later debunked as propaganda didn’t never fazed Joseph Stalin. What mattered was “Pavlik’s” usefulness as a means of encouraging other youths to rat out their neighbors, friends, teachers, and even their own families for any perceived infraction of Soviet law or policy. Tragically, it worked.

And now — nearly a century later — a 68-year-old Russian pediatrician is facing charges of dissemination of “fake news” about the Russian military, based solely on the questionable testimony of a seven-year-old patient and his mother.

According to the boy’s mother, Anastasia Akinshina, Dr. Nadezhda Buyanova made comments in the presence of her son to the effect that the child’s father — who had been a Russian soldier killed in the war in Ukraine — was a “legitimate military target.” The statement was allegedly made when Akinshina was explaining to the doctor that the boy was struggling with the trauma of having lost his father. [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, November 8, 2024.]

Buyanova denies having made any such comment, or even having discussed the boy’s father during the office visit. Her defense attorney argued that the case was based on “slander and deliberate fabrication,” and pointed out contradictions in the testimony of the seven-year-old — who, the attorney also argued, was too young even to understand terms he had used, such as “aggressor country,” “legitimate target,” or “special military operation.” [Id.]

Buyanova was dismissed from her job after Akinshina filed her complaint. However, she appealed the dismissal, and a court ruled in her favor in July, ordering her reinstatement.

Yet, having been arrested in February of this year, she has remained in “pretrial detention” ever since. She now stands trial under Vladimir Putin’s so-called “fake news” law, which targets critics of the government in general and the war in Ukraine in particular. The prosecution has requested a six-year prison sentence.

When asked before today’s hearing how she had survived the past months of pretrial detention, she replied, “My knowledge that I am innocent.” [The Moscow Times, November 8, 2024.]

*. *. *

Akinshina’s purpose in filing the original complaint against Dr. Buyanova is unclear. But — for the “justice system” of today’s Russian government — it is obviously sufficient cause to destroy a life.

Dr. Buyanova — and the world — now await the court’s decision on the rest of her life.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/8/24

They’re not Americans, or from any Western country. They are Russian citizens; but that doesn’t make their victimization by Vladimir Putin’s regime any less of an abomination.

Engineer Danil Mukhametov and his wife Viktoria both worked at the Uralvagonzavod (Ural Tank Factory) — one of the largest tank manufacturers in Russia — located in the city of Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast (Region), about 870 miles east of Moscow.

It is the same factory from which Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was falsely accused of gathering secret information — leading to his arrest in March of 2023, conviction on charges of espionage, imprisonment in a Russian penal colony, and to his ultimate release in a prisoner swap on August 1st of this year.

Coincidence? Well, lets see . . .

Also in March of 2023, Ural Tank Factory employees Danil and Viktoria were arrested by the FSB (formerly the KGB) and charged with having committed state treason by passing military secrets to Ukraine. They were held in detention for more than a year and a half before being brought to trial.

Last month, Viktoria was convicted by the Sverdlovsk regional court of selling technical blueprints to Ukrainian officials for 100,000 rubles (just over $1,000), and sentenced to 12-1/2 years in prison. At her trial, she is said to have confessed to accepting the money, “just to live.” [Andrew Osborn, Reuters, November 5, 2024.]

And earlier this week, Danil was tried by the same court and sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security penal colony, after allegedly admitting guilt for passing unspecified technical military information to Ukraine’s intelligence services. [Id.]

Both “confessions” came after being held in custody for more than 18 months.

The judge who heard both cases — behind closed doors, of course — was the same judge who had earlier convicted Evan Gershkovich.

Now tell me whether you still believe in coincidence.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/8/24

Or so my grandmother always said — and she was never wrong. Which was why I wasn’t allowed to be friends with this one little girl down the street, because I was told her mother was not a nice woman . . . although Bubbe would never explain exactly what that meant. I have since figured it out, of course.

Well, if that rule applies to most of my generation — which is the same generation as Donald Trump’s, i.e., over the hill and sliding fast — shouldn’t it also apply to him? In which case . . .

What gives with these two?

Let’s start with the richest, or one of the richest, individuals in the world. He clearly knows how to make money, babies, and political waves. He also knows how to buy his way onto a candidate’s bandwagon and — for the tidy sum of $130 million — help to buy a presidency.

And of course, Donald Trump would wish to reward such generosity of spirit and money. In a victory speech that lasted about 25 minutes, nearly four of those minutes were dedicated to praise of Musk, culminating in a proclamation that “a star is born — Elon!” [Derek Saul, Forbes, November 6, 2024.]

That’s odd . . . I thought he was already a star. But if Trump wants to take credit for having created him, and Musk has no objection, then it’s fine with me . . . and certainly no surprise, coming from the man who takes credit for everything anyway.

In any event, it’s unlikely that Musk would take on an actual Cabinet or White House position, given the requirement of having to stash his multi-billion-dollar assets somewhere for four years. Not to mention the rigors of passing a high-level security clearance . . . and let us not forget approval by the Senate. But as a more informal “adviser,” he would have unrestricted access and influence, particularly in monetary matters, without having to change his lifestyle or endure a rigorous approval process.

He has already commented on his thoughts concerning government cost-cutting — no, cost-slashing — which are, in typical Musk fashion, dramatic in the extreme, and thus a little frightening in their lack of detail.

Then there’s that little matter of the legal actions being brought against him, alleging fraud in connection with his million-dollar attempts to buy votes in the days leading up to the election . . .

But it may already be too late to stop the “welcome-Elon-to-the-family” party from being held. Judging from this Trump family photo posted on X by Trump granddaughter Kai, Elon has already been adopted. Here he stands, at the right end of a line of Trumps, holding his own son (the one named “X AE A-12”).

But wait . . . what’s this? Where is Melania?

Okay, let’s not jump to conclusions, though you must admit . . .

*. *. *

And next we have a member of America’s “royal family” of Democrats: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Now a Republican, and recently himself a presidential hopeful, he realized the futility of running against Trump, and instead jumped onto the Trump Train in hopes of landing a comfortable spot with the new Washington power elite.

While it hasn’t yet been decided what position would be offered to him, it has been reported by the Washington Post that he may be appointed a sort of “health czar” — also, like Musk, avoiding the Senate confirmation required for an actual government agency job. [Conor Murray, Forbes, November 6, 2024.]

Did someone say “health czar”? Hmm . . . let’s see, now. Isn’t this the guy who recently said that fluoride should be removed from the nation’s drinking water because it’s a health hazard? He’s also an outspoken anti-vaxer, claiming that some vaccines are responsible for causing autism, among other things. A member of Trump’s own transition team has said that Kennedy is talking about pulling vaccines he deems “unsafe” from the market. [Id.]

During his brief presidential campaign, he became well known for spouting some of the weirdest tales of the political season, such as admitting — to Roseanne Barr, of all people — that a decade ago he had found a dead bear that had been struck by another driver in New York City, and deposited it in Central Park with the intent of skinning it later and “[putting] the meat in my refrigerator.” And he wasn’t kidding. [Isabella Ramirez and Irie Sentner, Politico, August 23, 2024.]

But he may also have presented the world with a logical explanation for his illogical ramblings when he said that what he had originally suspected was a brain tumor in 2012 might actually have been “caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” He claimed to have been experiencing severe memory loss and mental fogginess. [Id.]

Yup . . . that could explain it, all right.

But brain worm or no brain worm, the jury’s still out on Bobby Jr.’s place in Washington. I just hope and pray he’s not the one chosen to wield final authority over our nation’s health system — at least, not until he earns an actual medical degree.

*. *. *

It’s early days in the choosing of the new administration’s support team, so there’s no need to panic yet. And I clearly recall the “revolving door” days of Trump’s first term, when we had just barely learned the name of one staff or Cabinet member before he or she was out job-hunting again.

So, at this point I would just say that perhaps Trump should be more careful in choosing his people this time around. I’m remembering the likes of Giuliani, Cohen, Manafort, Stone, Bannon . . .

Ah, those were the days, my friend.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/8/24

. . . Or, more likely, his speech writer came back from lunch and finished his notes for the boss’ address to the Valdai Discussion Club at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Wherever the words came from, Putin finally managed to congratulate Donald Trump on winning the U.S. presidential election, and indicated that he would be open to talks with the president-elect:

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” he offered, adding that he was impressed with the way in which Trump had handled himself immediately following the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in July, describing him as “a brave man.” [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, November 7, 2024.]

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had stated that he was “not aware” of any plans by Putin to congratulate Trump, as relations with Washington were at “an historic low.” But when asked by journalists today whether a possible communication between Putin and Trump before the inauguration on January 20th was “off the table,” that agile, quick-on-his-feet press secretary did a supersonic 180 and replied — apparently in reference to earlier statements made by Trump:

“Why? It is not ruled out. [Trump] said that he would call Putin before the inauguration. Those are his words.” [Id.]

Peskov was also asked whether there had been any official contact between Russian authorities and Trump’s campaign following the election, to which he offered a brief, somewhat snarky-sounding response:

“No. Why should we contact them?” [Id.]

Wow, Dima! You’ve really been working on your obfuscation skills, haven’t you?

*. *. *

And so, as another day draws to a close, we are once more left without any idea as to where the on-again-off-again bromance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin stands at present. But what the hell . . . we’ve got four more years to figure it out.

Lucky us.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/7/24

The Addams Family?

Nope, not the Addamses; but I can see how you would make that mistake; they do sort of remind one of Morticia, Lurch, and Uncle Fester, don’t they? But they’re not.

No, they are the Trumps — some of them — about to become, once more, America’s first family, occupying the big white domicile at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., in our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C.

Oh, God! Four more years of Trumps?

But will it be the same as last time? Will Melania resume the role of stiff but gracious (more or less) hostess? Or will she continue to be the elusive, reclusive, unobtrusive mystery woman she has become over the past four years? She never really liked living in that drafty old White House, as I recall.

Barron’s the lucky one. He’ll most likely be spending most of his time at college, where he will still have to contend with his Secret Service contingent and the relentless media, but not with his parents or siblings. Maybe it’s not too late for him to become a normal human being. Other presidential sons and daughters have managed it. Of course, they didn’t have a father who . . .

No, no, I promised myself I wouldn’t go there.

And what about Ivanka and Jared? They’ve been largely out of the public eye for a while. Are they enjoying that, or do they miss the limelight, the celebrity status, the feeling of power? (For that matter, did anybody miss them?) Will there be active roles for them in this administration in line with their abilities? Is there even such a thing as a role to match their qualifications? Come to think of it, what are their qualifications? Oh, well, no matter . . . Daddy will come through with something, as always.

Then there are the Brothers Trump — Don Jr. and Eric. I guess they’ll be looking after the family fortunes again, on the assumption that someone can actually convince Dad to divest himself of his business interests this time around.

And dear little Tiffany. You’ve been the smart one all these years, staying out of politics and living your own life. You’ve got a good thing going there — you might want to hold on to it.

*. *. *

And there you have them: the core of the Trump family. There are some others, of course — grandchildren too young to participate in politics as yet; some second-tier relatives who don’t seem to matter; and we won’t even mention Niece Mary, who has made it abundantly clear that she doesn’t have much use for Uncle Donald (that’s Trump — not Duck).

Oops! I did just mention her, didn’t I? Oh, well . . . it’s all in the family.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/7/24

You’d have to be a centenarian to remember the old American vaudeville team of Gallagher and Shean from the 1910s and ‘20s. I heard about them from my mother. They were perhaps most famous for their eponymous theme song, “Gallagher and Shean” . . . or as sometimes referred to by its tag line: “Absolutely, Mr. Gallagher?” “Positively, Mr. Shean.”

For some reason, it came to mind as I was reading about Vladimir Putin’s reaction yesterday to Donald Trump’s election win, the reserved tone of which may have come as something of a surprise to Trump, who has always bragged about his close relationship with the Kremlin’s head honcho.

Speaking through your favorite Kremlin spokesman and mine, Dmitry Peskov, Putin gave the distinct impression that friendship — if indeed there is one — is about as meaningful to him as . . . well, as the lives of all those people he’s had locked up or liquidated for their dissenting political views. As delivered by Peskov:

“Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state (in Ukraine),” Peskov said to reporters. [Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov, Reuters, November 6, 2024.]

Dima (as I take the liberty of calling him) went on to say that he was not aware of any plans by Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory — to hell with protocol, right? — and threw in a gratuitous reminder that relations between Moscow and Washington were at an historically low point:

“We have repeatedly said that the U.S. is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. This cannot be done overnight, but … the U.S. is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Will this happen, and if so, how … we will see after (the U.S. president’s inauguration in) January.” [Id.]

The Russian Foreign Ministry had a few words to add on the subject as well, mentioning what they called a “bipartisan anti-Russian position among the U.S. ruling elite designed to try to contain Russia”:

“Russia will work with the new administration when it ‘takes up residence’ in the White House, fiercely defending Russian national interests and focusing on achieving all the set objectives of the special military operation (in Ukraine). Our conditions are unchanged and are well known in Washington.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Well! All right, then.

The gauntlet has obviously been thrown down, placing the ball squarely in Donald Trump’s court (if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphors). And this is where I had the sudden image of the team of Putin and Trump onstage, microphones in hand, belting out that good old vaudeville tune:

“Absolutely, Mr. Putin?”
“Positively, Mr. Trump.”

You know, on second thought, that may be exactly the way Donald Trump wanted it to go.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/7/24

Well, I suppose that would be almost any year. But some specific examples:

The Russian Revolution of 1917.

Actually, that was pretty horrible. (And it’s commemorated on the 7th, not the 6th — but close enough for government work.) Looking ahead to the next four years in the U.S., though, what I’m seeing could be even worse.

*. *. *

1861: Jefferson Davis Elected President of U.S. Confederacy. The Civil War had begun, and would continue for four years. Why does my brain keep seeing some sort of parallel here?

But history doesn’t always have to repeat itself . . . does it?

*. *. *

1528: Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca lands in Texas. We can’t really hold Sr. de Vaca responsible for the way Texas voted yesterday, but maybe if he had never set sail from Spain . . . Still, at the time it must have seemed like a very good day for his crew.

*. *. *

1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president. Aha! A really good one at last . . . though not necessarily for Jefferson Davis.

I’d like to know where the Abraham Lincolns of today are hiding . . . if indeed they exist. Anyone out there?

Please?

*. *. *

2021, 2022 and 2023: Because they weren’t presidential election years.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/6/24

Despite bogus online bomb threats leaving a trail to some Russian domains (no surprise there), no U.S. polling stations actually went up in smoke yesterday; and those that had to close temporarily while the threats were investigated were able to reopen without much delay. So, all in all — at least by today’s standards — it was a successful Election Day in America.

Until the results were in, that is. Since a picture truly is worth a thousand words, let me just say this:

So, to pass a bit of time doing something other than researching the immigration laws of the various Scandinavian nations, I decided to check in on my Celebrations Calendar for a bit of fun and inspiration. There was National Nachos Day, which wasn’t terribly inspiring, though nachos are almost always a good idea.

Next was something impressively named International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. I have no idea how one might orchestrate a war without having a negative effect on the surrounding environment — just look at what’s happened to Ukraine and Gaza — but it certainly sounds like a project with a worthy goal.

I guess we could celebrate it by heading out to the nearest Mexican restaurant for some of those nachos.

*. *. *

And finally, I hit a home run. Because the third and last item on today’s list was so perfectly timed that whoever originated it must either have been psychic, or — somehow guessing what yesterday’s election was going to be like — squeezed it onto the calendar just in time. Without further ado, then, I give you . . .

National Stress Awareness Day.

Now, I ask you: Does it get any more apropos than that, except perhaps for “National Head For the Hills Day,” or “National How Will We Ever Survive the Next Four Years Day?” I really can’t imagine a more perfect appellation for the first day after the end of the just-finished campaign year.

Truly, if you’re not fully aware of the extraordinary amount of stress — past, present, and for the foreseeable future — that has been dumped on us, then you must have been hitting the sauce pretty hard for a very long time.

Oh, how I wish you’d invited me to join you!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/6/24

Half of the population of the United States feels like this today:

The other half is just praying they made the right choice.

Now we wait to see what the future has in store for us.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/6/24