That appellation was originally given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. But the horrific event that brought the United States into World War II was planned and executed by an enemy force . . . not by our own citizens, aided, encouraged and supported by our own president.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the insurrectionist attack on the United States Capitol by mobs of violent, mindless brutes and thugs seeking to overthrow the 2020 election of Joe Biden to the presidency, in order to continue the authoritarian regime of Donald Trump.

That attempted coup failed. But Trump never acknowledges defeat. Four years later, he slithered his way back into the White House by a slim plurality of the vote, where he has continued — and accelerated — his coordinated assault on our 250-year-old democracy . . . not to mention his personal attacks against anyone and everyone who has ever dared to criticize him.

It is certainly not necessary to detail, yet again, Trump’s criminal acts of the past year, or his increasingly deranged behavior and obvious physical decline; that is being done on a minute-to-minute basis by the news outlets and social media. And the American people are all too aware of the personal effect his administration’s actions are having on their daily lives.

But beyond our individual problems, what is most concerning is the domino effect of his actions: the weakening of our country’s relations with our traditional allies, the reduction of our status in the eyes of the rest of the world, and, most frightening of all, the opportunities he has provided to the world’s most tyrannical governments — Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, etc. — to step in and fill the void.

In the days since Trump’s shocking invasion of Venezuela, the prevailing attitude among those other authoritarians has been, “If the U.S. can do it, why can’t we?” And they have a point. If Donald Trump can send his troops to kidnap the president of another sovereign nation, doesn’t that justify what Russia is doing to Ukraine? Doesn’t it give tacit permission to Xi Jinping to go after Taiwan? Or Netanyahu to fully occupy Gaza and the West Bank?

Even before Venezuela, Vladimir Putin had accurately assessed the possibilities presented by Trump’s political stupidity. A week after their meeting in Alaska in August of 2025, which was supposed to have been focused on settling the conflict in Ukraine, this is what Putin had to say in a speech back home in Russia:

“With the arrival of President Trump [in the White House], I think that a light at the end of the tunnel has finally loomed. And now we had a very good, meaningful and frank meeting in Alaska.

“The next steps now depend on the leadership of the United States, but I am confident that the leadership qualities of the current president, President Trump, are a good guarantee that relations will be restored.” [Reuters, August 22, 2025.]

Under this administration, our country has well and truly been sold out in exchange for the personal power of one man and the enrichment of his evil oligarchy. And it began just two weeks before he was due to leave office, when he addressed that rally on the National Mall and encouraged the crowds to march to the Capitol . . .

. . . and when he called the violent attack on that institution a “peaceful” gathering.

And it has continued since then, as he has pardoned the most violent of the convicted criminals who participated in that attack, and repeatedly declared the 2020 election to have been “stolen.”

So yes . . . January 6, 2021, is a day that lives in infamy within the history of the United States. Only this time — unlike that day in December of 1941 — the rest of the free world is not rushing to our aid; and our own people, rather than uniting in defense of our great nation, are divided as they have not been since the end of the Civil War in 1865.

And I am sore afraid.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/6/26

“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated uder the shield of law and in the name of justice.”

– Baron de Montesquieu

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/6/26

It all seems to have started last August, with the arrival of the Pulley family: a young Australian couple with four small children, who had emigrated to Russia and originally settled in the Altai region — a remote section of southern Siberia that shares borders with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.

There had been a few weeks of frenzied activity on the Feenstra farm in Nizhny Novgorod as they hastily built and furnished a small “guest house” on their property, hinting at a forthcoming surprise. But the arrivals were not relatives or friends coming for a visit; they were six strangers, suddenly relocated to the more desirable Nizhny Novgorod region, to “help out” on Countryside Acres. And that was all the explanation we were given. Not why the Pulleys had moved; not how the Feenstras could afford to build the guest house and pay their new helpers; and not how, or by whom, the arrangements had been made.

Then, just as suddenly, Arend Feenstra announced in early December that their entire family would be leaving for an extended vacation in Canada and the United States. Again, no explanation, no reason given . . . but a repeated assurance that they would “100% for sure” be returning to their farm in Russia. In the meantime, the Pulleys — not farmers by trade or background — would be in charge of the property and the animals.

After Arend’s emotional farewell to the farm — which sounded more like a Russian “proshchai” (goodbye forever) than a simple “do svidaniya” (‘til we meet again) — we followed the family halfway around the world to a grand reunion, and a joyous Christmas celebration, with their extended family in Canada.

Meanwhile, the Pulleys back in Nizhny Novgorod have broadcast on their own site, speaking of daily life on the farm, but never (in any of the videos I’ve seen) mentioning the Feenstras.

And, as if all of that hasn’t been strange enough . . .

Yesterday, Arend Feenstra posted a video from wintry Ontario, titled “Everything Changed in One Snowy Day,” in which he announced that eldest daughter Cora had taken a job in a nearby restaurant — which she had done “all on her own” — and would be going to live for the next three to four months with “a good Christian family” — not with her grandparents or other relatives — while her parents and seven younger siblings head south to warmer climes.

Arriving on the heels of their Christmas broadcast, when I commented on “their devotion to one another” and the “bond [that] gives them the strength to face whatever challenges life may bring,” the news of this split — even if only temporary — comes as quite a shock.

Yes, Cora is growing up. Younger brother Wesley just celebrated his 16th birthday, so she has to be at least 17, and possibly 18. For most 21st-century families, it would not be unexpected for a young woman of her age to want to exercise some degree of independence. But for an ultra-conservative, devoutly Christian family such as theirs — who left Canada two years ago for the explicit purpose of escaping what they call the “wokeness” of the general population — it seems highly unusual.

Not knowing what specific denomination of Christianity the Feenstras adhere to, one possibility does occur to me: perhaps this is something akin to the Amish tradition of Rumspringa — an opportunity for teens to explore the outside world for a short period of time before committing to adult baptism in the church. But that’s just speculation on my part.

Whatever the reason for this sudden development, a great many questions arise from the entire sequence of events over the past half-year: the hurried construction of the guest house prior to the August arrival of the Pulley family; the November issuance of Putin’s Decree No. 821 on the new requirement of military service as a prerequisite for Russian citizenship; and the sudden announcement of this very lengthy and expensive trip back home.

On each of those occasions, I wondered whether there might be something we weren’t being told. Taken together, a pattern seems to be emerging, hinting at long-term preparations for . . . well, for something we don’t yet know. Maybe it will turn out to be just a case of over-active imagination on my part. Or not.

But I intend to stay with the Feenstras to see what does happen next.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/6/26

Is Donald Trump not speaking to his Secretary of State? Or is he simply — as usual — not listening?

On Saturday, following the brutal invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its tyrannical president and his wife, Trump declared that the U.S. would now “run” Venezuela until a new regime was installed there. (Unfortunately, he did not indicate that he was quitting his present job in order to move to Caracas, but seemed to think he could ruin . . . sorry, run . . . two countries at once.)

But on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to be in damage control mode when he suggested that the U.S. would not take over day-to-day governance of Venezuela, other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” he said:

“And so that’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that. We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.” [Regina Garcia Cano, et al., Associated Press, January 4, 2026.]

Perhaps his more diplomatic comments were intended to assuage the concerns of other nations — adversaries and allies alike — regarding Trump’s hostile and blatantly illegal actions. Or maybe his apparent contradiction of his boss’ statements indicates a growing problem within the Trump administration: a possible hint that his Cabinet members and other advisers have finally come to the realization that he is a loose cannon who needs to be restrained, for his own sake and for the good of the country.

Whatever Rubio’s intent, it doesn’t seem to have done much good. Later on the same day, while returning to Washington aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated, “We’re going to run it, fix it.” [Id.]

He then threatened the new Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodriguez, saying that she might “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro . . . [if she] doesn’t do what’s right.” [Grace Eliza Goodwin, BBC, January 5, 2026.]

He also said, “Don’t ask me about who’s in charge [of Venezuela] because it will be controversial. We’re in charge.” And for added emphasis, while saying that he expects the new Venezuelan government to allow the U.S. total access so that American forces can “help rebuild,” he further threatened, “ . . . if they don’t behave, we will do a second strike.” [Sophia Cai, Politico, January 4, 2026.]

And — like a lottery winner on a shopping spree — he moved on to other Latin American countries:

“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall. I don’t know if they’re going to hold out.” Saying that Venezuela was Cuba’s principal economic backer, he added: “Cuba only survives because of Venezuela.” [Id.]

Then there was his comment on Colombia and its President Gustavo Petro, who has criticized Trump’s operation in Venezuela:

“Colombia is very sick too — run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and sending it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.” [Id.]

Finally, he returned to his obsession with Greenland:

“We need Greenland from a national security situation [sic]. The EU needs us to have Greenland.” [Id.]

Clearly, he hasn’t been listening to the Danish Prime Minister or other EU members, either.

Surely, those closest to Trump — no matter how unqualified they are for their jobs — cannot be oblivious to the dangers of his increasingly deranged behavior. I envision Marco Rubio — like the caretaker of a very expensive race horse — running along behind him, carrying a bucket and shovel to clean up the inevitable droppings.

Only we’re talking, not about a horse race, but about U.S. foreign policy . . . and a potentially inundating pile of poop.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/5/26

When you reach a certain age — and that age is different for each of us — it is natural that the turning of the calendar page to a new year brings with it thoughts, not just of new hopes and opportunities, but of one more candle on the next birthday cake.

We know we can’t stay young forever, and a glance at the reflection in the mirror only serves as confirmation. Another couple of laugh lines, a bit more slack in the jaw, the inadvertent “grunt” when we stand up . . . and let’s not even mention the waistline!

Yet in our minds, we’re still 30-something: grown-up, responsible, but with the same irreverent sense of humor, the same longing for adventure, the same joy in sharing a good time or an intense conversation with an old friend, and at least a measure of the same idealistic nature we possessed when we were young and foolish.

This quote — from a book I admittedly have not read — sums it up for me:

“I’m not ready to let the youthful part of myself go yet. If maturity means becoming a cynic, if you have to kill the part of yourself that is naive and romantic and idealistic — the part of you that you treasure most — to claim maturity, is it not better to die young but with your humanity intact?”

– Kenneth Cain, “Emergency Sex (And Other Desperate Measures): True Stories From a War Zone”

I don’t know what emergency measures Cain had to resort to in order to survive in Cambodia and other war zones he visited in the ‘90s; but I do agree with his attitude toward aging with our values intact . . . which is fortunate, since it’s already far too late for me to die young.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/5/26

On New Year’s Day 1991, with about eight to twelve inches of fresh snow outside that had fallen during the previous day and night, I was at home, thoroughly bored and wondering how to pass the time. A new Sean Connery film — The Russia House — had just been released and was playing at the nearby multiplex cinema; so I gathered my mother and sister together and we headed out onto the newly-plowed streets, joining a few hundred other locals looking for a way to spend the day.

Two and a half years later, I found myself living in Moscow, in the midst of an adventure oddly reminiscent of the theme of that movie. And I had brought with me a VCR player and a stack of VHS tapes (who remembers those?) of favorite movies — one of which was, of course, The Russia House.

One evening, I invited a few of my English-speaking Russian friends to my apartment for a movie night, complete with vodka, caviar, and all the trimmings. And when our viewing of The Russia House ended, there was unanimous agreement that it was the most realistic foreign depiction they had ever seen of life in Russia just before the fall of the Soviet Union. They loved it as much as I did.

Since that time, it has become my custom to re-watch that movie each year on New Year’s Eve. I know practically every line of dialogue by heart, but it doesn’t matter; it takes me back to a more exciting time of my life, and brings back memories of even earlier times . . . the “good old days” before the supposed fall of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe.

That sounds odd, I know. But it’s not the crazy ‘90s I miss, and certainly not the oppression of the pre-Gorbachev era. It’s the “spy games” of the Cold War years.

Yes, we still spy on each other, perhaps even more than before. But it’s different; it’s so . . . so . . . well, so impersonal now. If you’ve ever watched a spy movie from the 1960s or ‘70s — not the exaggerated James Bond action films, or Maxwell Smart with his shoe phone, but serious movies like The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, or The Day of the Jackal — or read any of John Le Carre’s books, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Those were the years when you knew who your enemies were, and understood their political ideologies and how they thought and behaved. You studied them, surveilled them, followed them on foot or in a motor vehicle, and — if you were very lucky — infiltrated their ranks. You relied on HUMINT — human intelligence — to gather and analyze the information you needed, recruiting disillusioned members of their own organizations whenever and wherever you could. It was a gentlemen’s game requiring skill and finesse, and it was played by a well-known set of rules. Yes, it was nasty and sometimes deadly, but it was, for lack of a better word, orderly.

Your work was aided by the high-tech equipment of the day: electronic “bugs” discreetly hidden in hotel rooms, taxis, or underneath restaurant tables; miniature cameras to photograph documents “borrowed” from their facilities by your agents; drugs to make your target talk, or, when required, to knock them out.

And when one of the enemy had to be disposed of, you sent in a specialist to do the job, perhaps using a silenced firearm or a blade, a well-executed twist of the neck, or a poison-tipped umbrella.

It was all very time-consuming, extremely risky . . . and very personal.

*. *. *

Today, spying — like nearly everything else — has been taken over by technology. To locate an adversary, to follow them, to know everything there is to know about them, you simply consult your highly specialized computers. You watch and listen to them on a monitor halfway around the world, never having to creep down a dark alley or pick a lock or wear a disguise.

And when it becomes necessary to eliminate them — or, say, a few hundred innocent civilians, because mass murder is so much simpler today — you need only sit in that room a thousand miles away, press a couple of buttons, and . . .

. . . a drone does the rest. Mission accomplished. You’ve never met the targets, never seen the fear in their eyes or smelled their blood as their bodies were blown to pieces. For the cyber spy, it’s just a job, much like that of the customer service operator on the phone in Bangladesh helping you track your package in New Jersey. It’s cold and efficient and impersonal; and you can assuage whatever nagging sense of guilt you may feel by telling yourself that you only pressed a button. In short, it’s dehumanizing, as is much of what takes place in our world today.

This is, of course, an over-simplification. But the changes are real: the patriotic fervor of the last century seems to be gone; and the killing has become quicker, easier, and less shocking. And, as those of us who are old enough to remember the Cold War can attest, the changes have only made things worse.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/5/26

It was just a matter of time: the worsening economic and human rights conditions in Iran finally drove the citizens to end 2025 and begin 2026 with mass protests demanding change, during which at least eight people are reported to have been killed.

And Donald Trump — ever on the lookout for an opportunity to stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong, but where he smells money to be made — has warned the Iranian authorities against killing peaceful protesters, saying that Washington “will come to their rescue,” and that “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” [Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC, January 2, 2026.]

Two days ago, that may have sounded like just another of his manic midnight tweets. But yesterday changed all that, when he made good on his threats to invade Venezuela . . . even going so far as to kidnap President Maduro and his wife.

Though his rationale is that his action against Venezuela is part of his war on illegal drugs and the need to bring down a murderous regime, everyone knows what it’s really about: it’s about the massive oil reserves that Trump and his cronies will now “invest” in — and profit hugely from — while Trump “runs” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” [BBC, January 3, 2026.]

Like Venezuela, Iran also sits on huge crude oil reserves — reportedly the fourth largest in the world — as well as substantial supplies of natural gas. And that is a temptation that would be difficult, if not impossible, for him to resist. On Friday, January 2nd, he posted on Truth Social:

“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” [Id.]

But Iran is not Venezuela. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded that Trump should “be careful” of potentially causing chaos throughout the Middle East. And his adviser, Ali Larijani, issued this additional warning:

“Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and destroying America’s interests.” [Id.]

Still, in an eerie echo of the 1979 protests that expanded into a full-fledged revolution and overthrew the last Shah, the Iranian protesters have not been silenced. One protester, speaking anonymously, told the BBC that they have been asking for US support for years, because the security forces “. . . are afraid and they shake to the bones when Mr Trump says something . . . [They] believe that if Mr Trump says something, he will do it . . . [and they] know if anything happens, they would have to take the consequences.” [Id.]

But those idealistic young protesters may be pinning their hopes on an America that used to bring freedom and democracy to the oppressed peoples of the world . . . not the bastardized version of America that has emerged under Trump’s regime.

I’m not suggesting the Iranian people should give up the fight for reforms; but they may want to rethink the best way to achieve their goals. And inviting Donald Trump into their home . . . well, let’s just say it might not be the answer to their prayers.

Consider what he’s already done to his own country.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/4/26

When it comes to commentary on the most vile instincts of mankind, there is no better source than The Bard.

In the wake of yesterday’s headlines concerning the shocking events in Venezuela, I doubt that today’s quotation requires any explanation:

“And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd old ends, stolen out of Holy Writ,
And seem a saint when most I play the devil.”

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

And the “naked villain” of the day likewise needs no introduction.

Happy New Year, world!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/4/26

On this two-year anniversary of the start of my weekly tribute to the political prisoners being held hostage by the tyrannical regimes of Vladimir Putin and his allies, I find my righteous anger at those regimes tempered somewhat by feelings of shame and guilt . . . not from any overt acts of my own, but on behalf of my country.

For yesterday morning, I awoke — as we all did — to the unfathomable news that forces of the United States military had, without provocation and in violation of international law, invaded the sovereign nation of Venezuela, forcibly kidnapped its president and his wife, and transported them to the U.S. mainland for prosecution on drug charges.

Yesterday, my country — the nation founded on the tenets of peace and democracy — became the hostage-taker. A public announcement from Donald Trump declared that “we” — meaning he — would hereafter “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be effected.

Thus, the self-proclaimed “President of Peace” officially became the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse, raining war and devastation upon the Earth — and, I fear, upon the hostages held in those faraway prisons by Putin and his minions. For we have joined the league of those who trade in human misery, and place no value on the sanctity of life. Who, then, will be willing to negotiate with the U.S. government, when we can no longer be trusted to do so in good faith? What have we left to offer as a guarantee of our supposedly noble intentions?

*. *. *

But that is no reason for me, or any of us, to abandon those prisoners still praying for release. And so, with the addition of this week’s newest political hostages, here they are for the first time in 2026:

Victims of Greed:

The President, First Lady, and citizens of Venezuela

Europeans Under Threat:

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 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 China:

Chenyue Mao (American)

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)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

Please do not lose hope. The one constant in life is change . . . and the next surprise may turn out to be a better one.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/4/26

My first impulse this morning was to start with a mea culpa to the people of Venezuela . . . but I didn’t launch the invasion.

Then I considered a plea for forgiveness to all of America’s traditional allies . . . but I had no part in the decision.

Hell . . . I didn’t even vote for him. Not in 2016, or 2020, or 2024.

I even gave a fleeting thought to renouncing — symbolically, at least — my treasured U.S. citizenship. But I found that to be impossible. I was born here, and I have spent a lifetime loving my country, warts and all. I have verbally defended her to people from other lands who saw only her faults, and proudly pointed out her many incomparable virtues.

And, despite everything we are experiencing, I continue to hold out hope for her salvation and renewal when these dark days are behind us at last.

But — short of putting my fist through a door, or running down the street screaming “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore” — I need an outlet for the shock, the anger, and the grief I am feeling today. And so I write.

My country — my America — does not start wars. We do not invade countries that are not threatening our borders. We do not kidnap heads of other governments. We do not pretend to be engaged in a “war on drugs” when the real target is oil.

But that is precisely what he — not “we” — has done. But “we” are complicit, because we didn’t stop him. The signs were there when he blew the first suspected drug boat out of the water, taking the lives of his first victims. His verbal threats could not have been more explicit. And his intentions were made clearer when he deployed the USS GERALD R. FORD to the waters off the coast of Venezuela.

No one — not the Supreme Court, not our elected members of Congress, and not his supposed “advisers” — has held him accountable for a single one of his illegal, unconstitutional actions over the past ten months. So why wouldn’t he think he had carte blanche to carry his madness to the next level?

This man who calls himself the “Peace President”; who preaches to other world leaders about legality and human rights; who claims to have ended seven or eight or nine conflicts around the world; who threw a tantrum when he was denied the Nobel Peace Prize . . . this person has now positioned himself as the single most denigrated head of state on the planet.

When even the worst of the worst — tyrannical regimes like Russia, Iran, North Korea and China — have denounced his action, one would expect that he might be having second thoughts. Instead, he declares that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” [BBC, January 3, 2026.]

Where have we heard those words before? Oh, yes . . . from Vladimir Putin, in regard to his conditions for ending the war in Ukraine.

And what about our allies — the countries of Europe, Canada, Japan, and others? Their silence thus far has been deafening, and understandably so. Just when they must have been thinking he couldn’t get any worse . . .

*. *. *

So, what is the solution? If I knew that, I expect I would be the front runner for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize. But I do know what my idea of justice would be; and it would involve a “safe, proper and judicious transition,” right here in the United States.

For God’s sake, Congress . . . wake up, and stand up, before it’s too late! This is your moment.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/3/26