Both the Old Testament and Will Shakespeare were of the opinion that the sins of the father would be visited upon the children, often for generations to come. And sometimes that prophecy is sadly, even tragically, fulfilled.

But just as often, the sins of the children have had repercussions on their parents. Such appears to be the case of 21-year-old American Michael Gloss, killed last year while fighting for Russia in Ukraine . . . who just happened to be the son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Juliane Gallina.

After Gloss’ death was first reported in April of this year, the CIA issued a statement saying that he had been suffering from mental health problems, had never been an employee of the CIA, and was not considered a national security risk. He had enlisted with the Russian military in the fall of 2023, and sources state that the Kremlin was not aware of his family background. His obituary reported that he had been “killed in Eastern Europe” a year earlier, on April 4, 2024. [BBC World News, August 9, 2025.]

Gloss may not have presented security problems to the United States, but he most certainly created issues for his parents. In addition to the grief of having lost a son, his mother has had to deal with the embarrassment of having her CIA colleagues learn of her son’s betrayal of his country.

His father, Iraq War veteran Larry Gloss, told the Washington Post in an interview last April that Michael had struggled with mental illness throughout most of his life. He said:

“Our biggest fear while we were waiting for him to be repatriated was that someone over there [in Moscow] would put two and two together and figure out who his mother was, and use him as a prop.” [Id.]

That didn’t happen at the time; but it has now.

Vladimir Putin took care to see that it did.

When a family member dies in the service of their own or an allied country, receiving a posthumous recognition of their heroism is an honor, and an acknowledgment that their life had meaning and purpose. It is at least a small source of comfort for the surviving relatives.

But for American parents, who themselves have honorably served their own country in civilian and military capacities, learning that they have been sent the Soviet-era Order of Lenin by Vladimir Putin to “honor” their dead son is the supreme insult; it is rubbing salt into a still-fresh wound.

And that is precisely what Putin did, during his meeting last week with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Witkoff was in Moscow in an attempt to advance negotiations toward ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. The meeting culminated in an agreement to schedule a summit meeting between Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, August 15th . . . and in Putin’s handing to Witkoff an Order of Lenin medal for delivery to Michael Gloss’ parents.

I cannot imagine Steve Witkoff’s reaction, but I assume — and hope — that he handled the moment more diplomatically than I would have done. I’m not sure whether I would have laughed maniacally, or simply thrown the offending “gift” at Putin’s evil, grinning face; but either way, I would certainly have put an end to any hope of improving U.S.-Russian relations . . . which is why I wisely chose many years ago not to go into politics.

It is not presently known what has happened to the medal, and no official statement has been made about the incident. Neither the Kremlin nor the Russian Foreign Ministry has acknowledged presentation of the award; and on the U.S. side, the White House, the CIA and Witkoff have all failed to respond to requests for comment. [Id.]

But word leaked out, as it has a way of doing. And the blatant sarcasm of the gesture is just one more “gotcha” moment for Putin — to top off his victory in securing a face-to-face meeting with Trump on U.S. soil.

All in all, I’d say it’s been a pretty good week for the Kremlin.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendohchka
8/10/25

I was talking to someone about my mother the other day.

Now, usually those discussions center around her faults, which, in all honesty, were plentiful. I mean, that woman — who could be so much fun when she let her hair down and had a drink or two — could also spoil a celebration with nothing more than a sigh and a well-placed facial expression.

But during this recent conversation, I surprised myself by discovering a positive trait that I never noticed while she was alive.

The talk had started as a discussion of personalities, and specifically those individuals who are needy, and require constant attention as an affirmation of their own worth. My mother was one of those; but she never wanted negative attention, never complained about the pain in her arthritic hands, or feeling tired after a long day at work. She needed praise, but not pity . . . and for the latter, I give her credit.

Because I now know how difficult that can be. And there are so many people who do what she didn’t: invent or exaggerate conditions in order to elicit sympathy, and of course, attention.

In thinking about it, it occurred to me that I don’t want either. I don’t want well-meaning people telling me that I’m still beautiful — I know I’m not, and at my age that’s okay.

And I certainly don’t want anyone thinking they have to sacrifice any part of their own lives in order to attend to my every whim, or feeling guilty if they can’t do more. That’s not how I want, or ever wanted, to grow old.

There is something I do want in my sunset years, however . . . and that is simply to remain relevant.

The majority of my body parts may be succumbing to gravity, rust, and erosion; but for the most part, my mind continues to function. My sense of humor is intact (and still on the diabolical, somewhat smutty side); and I am intensely — some say, compulsively — interested in what’s happening in the world.

I have a personal history, of course . . . and some of it is fairly interesting. I have been to foreign lands, met fascinating people, occasionally faced danger, and had my share of fun. I have an accumulation of knowledge and information, and a wealth of opinions, which I am more than happy to share with anyone who has the time and the desire to listen.

But people like me — people whose lives are no longer considered “useful” because we have retired from the workforce and perhaps are no longer able to keep up physically — tend to be overlooked. As long as we don’t complain, it’s assumed we’re all right. And as long as we have the necessary creature comforts — food, shelter, medical care (and, in my case, Haagen-Dazs) — it’s assumed we don’t need anything more. That’s how the golden years are supposed to be, isn’t it?

Well, no . . . it isn’t. Our souls need comfort too, and that requires acknowledgment of who we are, and what we still have to contribute to the world.

So the next time your parent, grandparent, or any older person can’t relate to your choice of music, your latest gaming craze, your ripped jeans, or your thoughts on LGBTQ rights, maybe you could talk about things that interest them . . . because in all probability, they do still have interests. Or you could ask them to relate some of their memories of growing up in the ‘40s and ‘50s, listen to their LPs of big band music with them, or perhaps review some much-needed rules of English grammar together (like “he and I” instead of “me and him”).

Who knows? You might even learn something useful. After all:

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
– William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5

*. *. *

And that, my younger friends, is why I keep writing this blog: to remain relevant.

So how am I doing?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/10/25

In the shadow of other world events — the war in Ukraine, genocide in Gaza, natural disasters everywhere — the focus on political hostages has been pushed to the media’s back burner. There has been no news of additional arrests; but neither has there been word of progress toward any releases or exchanges, though negotiations may well be continuing behind closed doors. At least, I would hope so.

There is no excuse or justification for forgetting them, even for the moment. So here they are again: sadly, only a small percentage of the total number being held in Russian, Belarusian and Azerbaijani prisons as political hostages:

Prisoners of War:

The People of Ukraine
The Azov 12

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:

Ales Bialiatski
Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Ihar Losik
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Russia:

David Barnes
Gordon Black
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Sergey Karelin
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Grigory Melkonyants
Nika Novak
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland

. . . and any others I may not be aware of.

May you be home soon. And in the meantime, know that you are not forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/10/25

I’m not sure who is the bigger idiot: the 22-year-old active-duty American soldier who tried to sell classified information to Russia in exchange — not for money — but for Russian citizenship, or the individual(s) who awarded him the top-secret security clearance that gave him access to the data in the first place.

But that’s what Taylor Adam Lee is charged with having done while stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Lee was arrested on August 6th and charged under the Espionage Act with attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary, as well as violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Specifically, the Justice Department says that Lee “transmitted export-controlled technical information on the M1A2 Abrams Tank online and offered assistance to the Russian Federation.” [Joe Walsh, CBS News, August 6, 2025.]

He is said to have written online — online!! — earlier this year that “the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses. . . . At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation [sic] when I’m there in any way.” [Id.]

Then this genius — with the top-secret security clearance, mind you — had an in-person meeting with someone he “believed to be a representative of the Russian government,” to whom he delivered an SD card with technical data and other information on Abrams tanks. He also allegedly discussed with that individual the possibility of giving Russia a piece of hardware from the tank. [Id.]

On July 31st, he delivered what appeared to be the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso, Texas. He then messaged his “Russian” contact: “Mission accomplished.” [Todd South, Army Times, August 7, 2025.]

Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said in a statement:

“Lee allegedly violated his duty to protect the United States in favor of providing national defense information to the Russian government. The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect U.S. national security and bring to justice those who seek to undermine it.“ [Id.]

And Brigadier General Sean F. Stinchon, Commanding General of Army Counterintelligence Command, added:

“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army. Thanks to the hard work of Army Counterintelligence Command Special Agents and our FBI partners, Soldiers who violate their oath and become insider threats will absolutely be caught and brought to justice, and we will continue to protect Army personnel and safeguard equipment.” [Id.]

*. *. *

These things happen from time to time, both in the military and the civilian world. Even with the most careful vetting techniques, someone with a questionable history or personality quirk that should set off alarms will occasionally slip through unnoticed. And someone like Lee, who holds his Specialist rank because of his technical expertise and access to classified information, is a tempting target for foreign adversaries.

But I’m having difficulty understanding how a tech-savvy 22-year-old, apparently intelligent enough to hold a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, could be so stupid as to post his grievances against the Army and his willingness to assist Russia . . . on the freakin’ internet!!!

Someone really should have told this guy that what happens in Vegas no longer stays in Vegas.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/9/25

Less than three hours ago, I said that there was no way a “swapping of territories” was “to the betterment of” Ukraine, as proposed by Donald Trump upon announcing his scheduled meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15th.

And moments ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine “will not give their land to occupiers.” [Neha Gogol, BBC, August 9, 2025.]

I’m not psychic. And it’s not rocket science. There was no way Zelensky was going to allow Putin and Trump to sit down without him and carve up his country.

But the two dictators believe they have the right to do exactly that. Because that’s what dictators do.

And lest you still doubt that they’re in sync with regard to Ukraine, Putin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, has already issued an invitation to Trump to come to Moscow for their next summit.

It seems as though securing the future of Ukraine has taken a back seat to mending relations between Putin and Trump. But is that really surprising?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/9/25

Yes, you read that correctly. At least, that’s the plan as of this moment. With Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, however, one can never be certain of anything until it actually happens.

The details are being fed to the media in bits and pieces from both sides; but as things now stand, a meeting is set for next Friday, August 15th, somewhere in Alaska, with a final itinerary yet to be ironed out.

My first thought upon reading about this development was of the outstanding ICC criminal warrant against Putin charging him with war crimes; so I did a little fact-checking. I was most surprised to learn that, although the U.S. did sign the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court in 2000, we never ratified it, and formally withdrew in 2002 over concerns that it would have left U.S. citizens — and specifically our military deployed overseas — vulnerable to political prosecution by other countries.

So the U.S. is not obligated to act on the ICC warrant, and Putin is free to come to the U.S. without worrying about being arrested.

And what a propaganda coup this is for him — not only being at the big kids’ table again, but on American soil to boot. The only thing better would have been an invitation to a state dinner at the White House . . . but maybe next year.

In the meantime, we have learned that Wednesday’s meeting between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff resulted in “a sweeping proposal [from Russia] for a cease-fire in Ukraine, demanding major territorial concessions by Kyiv and a push for global recognition of its claims in exchange for a halt to the fighting.” [Bojan Pancevski, Alexander Ward and Robbie Gramer, The Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2025.]

Putin is said to have told Witkoff he would agree to a complete ceasefire in return for Ukraine’s withdrawal of its forces from all of its eastern Donetsk region, leaving Russia in control of Donetsk, Luhansk, and the Crimean Peninsula. No decisive information has been provided as to the two other regions partially controlled by Russia — Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — which geographically lie, side by side, between Donetsk and Crimea.

Neither was any indication given as to the status of Russia’s other earlier demands, which included Ukraine’s giving up its ambition of joining NATO, agreeing to limit its military capabilities, and calling for new elections.

Nor has there been a statement as to any further concessions, other than the ceasefire, on Russia’s part.

*. *. *

I’m sure you’re familiar with that creepy feeling you get when you know something is amiss but you can’t quite put your finger on it. For me, it manifests as a tingling sensation that starts somewhere in the pit of my stomach, works its way upward to my chest, and hovers there — unshakable — like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, waiting for the psycho with the knife to pull aside the shower curtain.

And that’s what I’m experiencing now: something doesn’t feel right. What does Vladimir Putin have up his sleeve that he’s been hiding and now decided to spring on us? For that matter, why is Trump suddenly so optimistic? What has he offered or suggested to Putin that we — and, more importantly, Ukraine — aren’t going to like?

Brushing aside the expiration of his Friday deadline, Trump told the media on Friday that “It’s going to be up to him [Putin]. We’re going to see what he has to say.” He added that he, Trump, is close to reaching a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but that it is “very complicated. . . We’re going to get some back; there will be some switched.” [Sarah Ewall-Wice, The Daily Beast, August 8, 2025.]

And he said further: “I think we’re getting very close. You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three and a half years. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” [Id.]

“Swapping of territories”? “To the betterment of both”? What does that imply? Is Russia going to offer Ukraine some sort of compensation for stealing its rich farmlands, valuable mining regions, and strategic Black Sea territories — say, a few thousand square miles of frozen Siberian tundra? Or will Putin offer to back out of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia . . . for now?

But regardless of what is offered, how can this conflict possibly be resolved to the “betterment” of Ukraine, when so much of it has already been decimated by three and a half years of relentless bombardment, and still more of it may simply be taken away?

What guarantees will Ukraine have against a future invasion? Putin’s word is meaningless.

And what sort of agreement will resurrect the thousands upon thousands of lives lost, or repair those that have been irreparably shattered?

No matter how hard you try, you can’t un-ring a bell.

*. *. *

And one other niggling little thought won’t go away, though it’s admittedly an odd one: Why suddenly choose to meet in Alaska, instead of Turkey or the Middle East? The Kremlin said the location is “quite logical” in view of Alaska’s relative proximity to Russia. Well, yes . . . if you live in Chukotka. But from Moscow, in western Russia, to the far east coast is a time difference of 11 hours.

So again, why Alaska? Is Putin planning to lay claim to our 49th state as well, reminding Trump that Alaskan territory — like Ukraine — was once part of the Russian Empire?

Remember what Putin recently said: “Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours.”

We might want to make sure that no one in his entourage holds a military rank.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/9/25

It’s evening in Moscow, mid-afternoon in Washington. And still there is no final word from the White House of concrete action on Donald Trump’s threatened secondary sanctions against Russia in the absence of any indication from Vladimir Putin of a desire to end to the war in Ukraine.

Following Wednesday’s meeting in Moscow between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump spoke of the likelihood of a meeting between himself and Putin, possibly within the next week, to be followed by a three-way meeting to include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But hours later, when asked whether Putin would have to agree to meet with Zelensky as a pre-condition to an initial meeting with Trump, Trump replied:

“No, he doesn’t. They would like to meet with me, and I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing.” [Shannon K. Kingston, Chris Boccia and Emily Chang, ABC News, August 8, 2025.]

According to former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor, if Trump and Putin meet with no concessions on Putin’s part, and without any real progress toward a resolution of the conflict, “It’s only an achievement for Putin. I don’t think it’s an achievement for the West, for the United States, for President Trump. Putin wants to be back as a player. He wants to . . . get out of this isolation. He wants to get out of being the pariah.” [Id.]

And Maria Snegovaya, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that a meeting with Trump would mark “the end of diplomatic isolation for Putin. He’s meeting potentially the most powerful presence in the world without necessarily giving any serious concessions or anything at all to the White House.” [Id.]

So it’s beginning to look as though Putin has done it again: bought further time for himself by offering to meet one-on-one with Trump — a tactic that would only benefit Putin by returning him to the world stage as an equal, rather than a political outcast . . . and at the same time offer him the forum he desires to reiterate his outrageous conditions for a peaceful settlement.

And Trump seems to have hesitated.

But the day isn’t over yet.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/8/25

It was a sad day, but it was the best solution to an agonizing, two-year-long struggle to find the truth and bring an end to what had become known simply as “Watergate.”

Trying to follow the Byzantine developments in a criminal conspiracy that began in June of 1972 with a break-in at Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington’s Watergate complex quickly became a daily pastime for the vast majority of adults around the world.

It was the worst scandal the U.S. government had ever seen, and it brought down the White House. Richard Nixon was impeached by Congress, and resigned shortly thereafter.

Speaking at the White House on August 8th, he addressed the American public:

“By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.” [“This Day In History,” History.com, August 8, 2025.]

For two years, Nixon had lied, tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to bully members of his administration into becoming part of the cover-up, and fought to maintain his credibility with the American people. But he failed, because the members of Congress and of the Justice Department did their jobs, and refused to be coerced.

In that respect, August 8, 1974, was a very good day for America . . . and for democracy.

Enough said.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/8/25

My brain is fried,
Feels like it died;
All cogent thoughts have fled.

I cannot write,
My efforts bite;
My mind has gone to bed.

I thought perhaps
A little nap
Would surely do the trick,

But woe is me,
’Twas not to be;
My candle’s lost its wick.

The news is bleak,
Another week
Of Putin, Xi and Trump.

I’ve had enough
Of all their stuff …
Been sitting like a lump.

And so I think
I’ll have a drink
Of something alcoholic,

And watch a flick.
No, nothing sick …
Perhaps, instead, bucolic.

I’ll lose myself
In something else
Besides the daily news.

I hope, my dear,
You’ll see it clear
My absence to excuse.

And by the morn,
I’ll be reborn,
No longer in a fog,

Once more opining,
And sometimes whining,
To bring you this, my blog.

*. *. *

In the meantime . . .
Good night, and sweet dreams.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/8/25

Three meetings between delegations from Moscow and Washington between February and June resulted in prisoner exchanges, but failed to bring a ceasefire in Ukraine any closer. Now, Donald Trump hopes that a face-to-face meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin will turn the tide.

But will it?

In June, at the meeting in Istanbul, the Kremlin presented its memorandum of demands for a “final settlement,” which were unchanged from previous statements: Ukraine’s ceding to Russia the regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia; agreeing to accept a position of neutrality; giving up its long-stated goal of membership in NATO; rejecting foreign military involvement; and calling for new elections. In other words, Ukraine would become a shrunken, toothless nonentity, defenseless and completely vulnerable to Russia’s future goal of reabsorbing the former Soviet republic into Putin’s new Russian Empire.

And those demands have remained unchanged, as reiterated numerous times by Putin himself (as recently as last week) and confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the Russian Security Council’s notoriously hot-headed Dmitry Medvedev.

According to Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya:

“The Russian side can frame this in a dozen different ways, creating the impression that Moscow is open to concessions and serious negotiation. But the core position remains unchanged: Russia wants Kyiv to surrender.” [Laura Gozzi and Vitaliy Shevchenko, BBC, August 7, 2025.]

So why should we expect a different result this time? Does Trump know something — perhaps gleaned from one of his phone calls with Putin — that he hasn’t revealed? Is Putin at last willing to offer a compromise on one or more of his demands? Or is he simply buying time, as he has done so often in the past, in order to continue his brutal attacks on Ukraine until total surrender becomes their only option?

Following Wednesday’s meeting in Moscow between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington now has a “better understanding of the conditions under which Russia would be prepared to end the war.” [Id.]

But what does that mean?

At this point, only one man knows for sure.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/7/25