When I think about Donald Trump — which I try not to do any more often than necessary — I don’t usually think of someone with a rip-roaring sense of humor. I mean, he’s no Robin Williams . . . right?

But what he told CBS News yesterday had me laughing so hard I nearly wet myself. And I’m still laughing. So I’d like to share it with you, in case you missed it.

In a telephone interview, when asked about his stated desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, this is what he said:

“I have nothing to say about it. All I can do is put out wars. I don’t seek attention. I just want to save lives.” [James FitzGerald, BBC News, September 4, 2025.] [Bold emphasis is mine — that’s the funny part.]

Seriously . . . are there two Donald Trumps? Is this the same guy who’s been talking about nothing but a Nobel Prize for months? In February, he said, “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. I deserve it, but they will never give it.” [Id.]

And in July, his press room Barbie, Karoline Leavitt, said it was “well past time” that he won the Nobel. Steve Witkoff also chimed in at a cabinet meeting just last week, calling him the “single finest” Nobel candidate in history. (I’m afraid Witkoff could use a little professional help as well, if that’s what he seriously believes.)

And Trump himself has said he has discussed the possibility of a Nobel with Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg (though Stoltenberg has not confirmed that). [Id.]

But suddenly, he’s Mr. Modesty. “I don’t seek attention.” “I just want to save lives.” “All I do is put out wars.”

Honestly, folks . . . who is this person?

And if he truly is so anti-war and anti-violence, what the hell is he thinking when he orders suspected drug smugglers’ boats to be blown to smithereens?

Also, why does he want the Department of Defense to revert to its World War II name: the War Department? That’s just scary.

Come to think of it, I’m not laughing any longer. This is a man who appears to be in serious trouble, both physically and mentally. And if he is, then so are we all.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/5/25

You are not to blame. You are doing what you have sworn to do: following orders as they are given to you.

The fact that those orders are wrong is not your fault. It’s not even the fault of your commanding officers. It is the fault of their commander-in-chief.

No one should be angry at you for doing your job, even if your “job” this week is “beautifying” D.C. instead of caring for your families. But not everyone knows how to express their anger, so there are those civilians who may direct that anger at you. Please don’t take it personally; they’re as upset as you are.

We know you hate this. Some of you are far from home, deployed on a fake mission for no other reason than to satisfy the evil whim of someone who cares only for himself.

I just wanted to say that most of us understand your position, and we’re truly sorry. Stay safe, and get home soon.

Oh . . . and just one other thing: I didn’t vote for him.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/4/25

They came, they shook hands, they smiled for the photographers . . . they even signed a preliminary agreement to build a “Siberia-2” gas pipeline together. It was a two-day photo op designed to showcase the burgeoning friendship between Russia and China.

All told, there were some 20 world leaders at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China this week, notably including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi . . . much to the chagrin of Donald Trump, who sat sulking in Washington while Modi — the target of Trump’s 50% tariffs — met and dined with America’s most bitter adversaries.

Xi and Modi also met separately on Sunday, where Xi spoke of the “fluid and chaotic” international situation in today’s world:

“It is the right choice for both sides [China and India] to be friends who have good neighborly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together” . . . referring to traditional symbols of their respective countries. [Simone McCarthy Nectar Gan and Rhea Mogul, CNN, August 31, 2025.]

And Xi continued, “As long as they adhere to the overall direction of being partners rather than rivals … China-India relations can maintain stability and move forward over the long run.”[Id.]

Modi responded that India was “committed” to carrying relations forward “on the basis of mutual trust and respect” . . . even mentioning an easing of tensions along the disputed Himalayan border. [Id.]

*. *. *

But wait . . . there was more.

After the two-day summit, some attendees went home, some stayed, and others arrived for the spectacular climax of Xi’s really big show on September 3rd: the military parade in Beijing’s expansive Tiananmen Square. And among the most honored guests at this event was — for the first time ever — North Korean President Kim Jong Un.

The optics were unmistakable: a display of solidarity among the “big three” for the Western nations to digest.

And in another side meeting, Putin and Kim sat down together. Referring to the thousands of North Korean soldiers who have already fought for Russia in Ukraine, Putin said:

“I would like to note that your soldiers fought courageously and heroically” . . . to which Kim replied, “If there is any way that we can support Russia, we will always do it. We consider it our brotherly duty.” [Reid Standish, RFE/RL, September 3, 2025.]

Later, Putin invited Kim to visit Moscow. Of course, he had also extended the same invitation to Donald Trump in Alaska.

*. *. *

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Trump had said on Tuesday, the day before the parade, that he was not concerned about the SCO summit or the military display:

“I have a very good relationship with President Xi, as you know. But China needs us much more than we need them.” [Bloomberg, September 3, 2025.]

Following the festivities on Wednesday, however, he offered these petulant remarks:

“I watched the speech last night. President Xi is a friend of mine, but I thought that the United States should have been mentioned last night during that speech, because we helped China very, very much.” [Id.]

And he posted this bit of sarcasm, addressed to Xi, on his Truth Social site:

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.” [Id.]

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov —who was with Putin in Beijing — was asked for a response to Trump’s comments. In a video circulated by a Kremlin pool reporter, he made this statement:

“Let’s hope this was meant in some figurative sense, not a literal one, especially since nobody is hatching any conspiracies.” [Id.}

If we’re keeping score, I’d have to say — in the diplomacy department alone — it’s Peskov-1, Trump-0.

*. *. *

Well, was it a hit or a flop? Based on what the public was shown — and obviously we don’t know everything that took place behind the scenes — it appears to have been a pretty good time for the participants. No major announcements were made, but it did offer evidence of a significant alliance being formed in opposition to the U.S. and European powers. In that sense, for Xi Jinping, it seems to have been worth the effort.

Xi also gained his objective of demonstrating to the world the strength of China’s military forces.

Narendra Modi gained a place at the big boys’ table.

Vladimir Putin walked away with a potential deal with China for a new Siberian gas pipeline, and the promise from North Korea of further support for his ongoing massacre in Ukraine.

And Kim Jong Un finally broke out of isolation and joined the A-team.

On the other hand, Donald Trump . . . well . . . you know how he is when the party isn’t for him.

As for us — the viewing public — we had a temporary distraction from wars, earthquakes, landslides, imaginary crime waves, very real immigrant round-ups, Jeffrey Epstein files . . . the everyday stuff of today’s world. And any respite from that is a very good thing.

*. *. *

And so we leave the land of the Great Wall and the Giant Pandas for now, and await the next chapter of “As the World Flip-Flops.”

Have a great day, everyone.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/4/25

While Turkey’s President Erdogan manages to remain firmly seated on the political fence between East and West, the Prime Ministers of two other members of both NATO and the EU — Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Robert Fico — have been much more outspoken in their support of Vladimir Putin. And now — not for the first time — they are using their leverage in the EU to swing the semi-annual vote on Russian sanctions in Putin’s direction.

The EU’s Russian sanctions presently cover more than 2,600 individuals and firms in Russia, and must be extended by unanimous vote every six months. The deadline for the next renewal is September 15th, and both Orban and Fico have submitted the names of several individuals — Russian oligarchs and others close to Putin — whose sanctions they want lifted before they will vote for renewal.

They can’t really believe they have a chance of having the entire sanctions program dropped. But by demanding that several high-profile names be removed — names like oligarchs Pyotr Aven and Mikhail Fridman — they have already caused some EU member states to propose an alternative solution: possibly by removing one or two “weak cases,” or individuals most likely to be delisted soon in any event due to lack of provable evidence against them. [Rikard Jozwiak, RFE/RL, September 3, 2025.]

Some sort of agreement will undoubtedly be reached, as it has been in the past. But by forcing the other members to compromise, Orban and Fico — and Putin — will have already won. It may not be a huge victory; but even the small ones, taken cumulatively, eventually become meaningful.

This is not a new tactic; but it demonstrates, once again, Putin’s increasing influence in nations that are members of the EU and/or NATO and whose heads are clearly working against the principles and goals of the two democratic alliances. And shockingly, both Hungary and Slovakia were, just over 30 years, Eastern Bloc countries that fought so hard and so valiantly to escape Soviet hegemony.

Unfortunately, neither NATO nor the EU offers any mechanism for the expulsion of a member country. Fico and Orban are well within their rights to vote against extension of the 2,600 existing sanctions . . . or any other measure that might hinder Putin’s continuation of the war in Ukraine . . . and to do so without fear of reprisal.

It’s coercion, pure and simple. But it’s unpunishable.

*. *. *

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Donald Trump has once again reiterated his wobbly stance regarding Putin’s continuing avoidance of serious peace negotiations with Ukraine.

You’ll be happy to know that he stated he’s still not pleased with his old friend Vlad, saying on conservative commentator Scott Jennings’ radio show on Tuesday:

“I’m very disappointed in President Putin, I can say that. We had a great relationship, I’m very disappointed. Thousands of people are dying. They’re not Americans. They’re Russians and Ukrainians. . . . And it’s a war that makes no sense. We’ll be doing something to help people live . . . Seven thousand people are dying every week — soldiers, mostly. And if I can help to stop that, I think I have an obligation to do it.” [RFE/RL, September 3, 2025.]

Trump didn’t specify what “something” he would be doing. Nor did U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent make matters any clearer on Monday when he told Fox News that the administration would this week be “examining options” in regard to a U.S. response to Russia’s continuing deadly attacks on Ukraine. Bessent said that:

“[Putin] has done the opposite of following through on what he indicated [to Trump] that he wanted to do. As a matter of fact, he has, in a despicable, despicable manner, increased the bombing campaign. So, I think with President Trump, all options are on the table, and I think we’ll be examining those very closely this week.” [Id.]

Fortunately for Ukraine, their European allies — a group of nations calling themselves the Coalition of the Willing — have more to offer. Led by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, they will be meeting today in Paris to discuss potential security guarantees for Kyiv. After speaking with NATO head Mark Rutte, Macron had written this on X:

“Together with our partners, and in coordination with NATO, we will work to define robust security guarantees for Ukraine. These are a necessary prerequisite to move credibly toward peace.” [Id.]

And on the eve of today’s meeting, Macron added:

“Thanks to the contributions prepared, documented, and confirmed this afternoon at the defense minister level under strict secrecy, we can now say: This work is complete and ready for political approval.” [Id.]

No “disappointment” . . . no “something” . . . no two-week extensions or “options on the table.” They said they would do it, and they’re doing it. And later today, we should know more about what “it” is.

That’s leadership.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/4/25

On this date in 1928, a young Scottish bacteriologist named Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally left a plate of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered in his laboratory. He later noticed that a mold had fallen on the culture, and had killed many of the bacteria. He was able to identify the mold as similar to the kind found on bread: penicillium notatum. [“This Day In History,” History.com, September 3, 2025.]

Thus did the world become the beneficiary of penicillin, and ultimately other antibiotics that have been responsible for saving countless millions of lives from bacterial infection over the past century.

And I can’t help wondering: What would have happened to the use of penicillin in the United States if Bobby Kennedy, Jr. had been in charge of the nation’s health services 97 years ago? Would it have been dismissed as fake science? Blamed for causing autism? Or accused of being a Scottish plot to infect the world with a deadly virus?

Think about it . . . and then tell me it doesn’t scare the crap out of you.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/3/25

I just turned the last page on a wonderful book by former U.S. Secretary of Labor (Clinton Administration) Robert Reich, in which he writes — among many other things — a bit about a long-time friend of his who has worked for half a century fighting for campaign finance reform. He once asked this friend whether he ever became discouraged by the difficulties he encountered in his work, to which the friend replied:

“This is my life. This is what I do.” *

I hope I haven’t violated any copyright laws in quoting from Mr. Reich’s book, but those nine words so resonated with me, at this period of my life, that I felt compelled to comment on them.

Because this is what I do now: I write a blog.

The last chapter of Mr. Reich’s memoir is about “Growing Old” — a subject with which I am all too familiar — and about what he does now that he is in his 70s (it’s a lot, by the way). I identified with his descriptions of the way Mother Nature plays havoc with us as we age, and laughed at the humor with which he handles it. And, being a huge fan of his writing and his thoughtful, common-sense approach to life, I am delighted that he has chosen, not to retire, but to continue educating and inspiring us for as long as he can.

I’m a few years older than Mr. Reich, and not nearly as smart or accomplished. But I refuse to let the aches and pains of old age keep me from doing the things I love, as long as they don’t require any athletic ability — or, in fact, much mobility of any sort. (Like an old car, my electrical system still works, but the chassis is shot.)

What do I love? I love reading . . . mostly non-fiction, but also a good thriller or spy novel. In fact, I just joined a neighborhood book club.

I love following the daily news and vicariously staying involved in world events.

And I love writing about whatever enters my mind on any given day.

Friends have asked me why I keep at it, since I don’t get paid for my efforts. In fact, I have occasionally asked myself the same question. And the answer is: If not this, then what else?

So I’m not J. K. Rowling. So what? I have my daily blog, and my small but loyal following. And like Mr. Reich’s friend, I can say with some satisfaction:

“This is my life. This is what I do.”

And that’s okay.

Thanks to Mr. Reich and his friend for the inspiration.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/3/25

* Robert Reich, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, 2025.

As the saying goes, you can’t fix stupid. And trying to fix some colossally stupid blunders can be painfully expensive. Like, $450 million expensive.

That’s what the U.S. government and the State of Florida stand to lose on that monument to man’s inhumanity to man in the Florida Everglades know as Donald Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Not that it was ever meant to resemble Trump’s palatial Mar-a-Lago; it was, after all, just temporary housing for those so-called lowlife immigrants being deported en masse, without due process, to third-world nations that Trump himself has called “shithole countries.” But it was the most ill-conceived, hastily-developed, inhumane, downright evil piece of work devised since the Nazis built Auschwitz. The only things lacking were the gas chamber and crematorium.

And it was stuck, intentionally, in the middle of an alligator-infested swamp, to make it impossible for any inmate to escape alive and with all of his limbs intact.

All of the voiced opposition, the evidence of uninhabitable conditions, and the public outrage at the inhumane treatment of the detainees failed to bring about any improvements . . . until last week, when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered the facility to wind down its operations. What finally did the trick was a movement by local environmental groups fighting for the protected wetlands, and the pleas of the indigenous Miccosukee Tribe to refrain from desecrating their sacred lands.

And here is a huge shout-out to those good Americans!

Judge Williams disagreed with the protestations of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who complained that her order would disrupt their immigration process. She said that the government’s “immigration enforcement goals will not be thwarted by a pause in operations,” and that the number of detainees had been dwindling in any event. [Mike Schneider and Kate Payne, A.P. News, August 28, 2025.]

DHS finally acknowledged that they are “complying with this order and moving detainees to other facilities.” [Id.]

So, at last we have a bit of good news to celebrate.

All we have to do is not dwell on thoughts of how much good could have been done with all of that wasted money, or what new hell awaits the people who were imprisoned there.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/2/25

A catastrophic earthquake in Afghanistan, killing at least 1,100 people. An entire village and its 1,000 inhabitants wiped out by a landslide in Sudan. Thirteen dead and more missing in devastating floods in China. Raging wildfires consuming countless acres and taking lives in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Canada . . .

When the gods get pissed off, they don’t hold back.

All I can say is, we must have finally crossed the threshold of their patience to warrant so many natural disasters at once. Don’t you think it’s time we began paying attention?

Are the powers-that-be trying to tell us to get our act together and begin behaving like rational human beings? To stop killing our planet — and each other — and start fixing our broken world before it is no longer capable of being repaired? To stop bowing to fascist leaders and get busy mending our fences?

In the 1960s — the days of “peace, love and brotherhood” — a group called the Youngbloods had a hit song titled “Get Together,” about choosing peace over war, love over hate. The chorus went like this:

Come on, people now
Smile on each other
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now.

Listen to the folk music of the ‘60s; really listen to it. Listen to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind,” and Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction.” In today’s world of anger, hate, and heavy metal, they may sound corny . . . even hopelessly Utopian. But they speak of a better world, of striving to do the right thing, of a brighter future.

And what’s wrong with that?

Given the chance, would I go back to the ‘60s? Yes, I would — and not only because I’d be young and sexy again. But because the world would have those 60 years back . . . a chance to undo all the damage we’ve done to ourselves, to grab those missed opportunities to save our planet and ourselves.

We can’t go back; but we can change our forward path. We can be the instruments of that change. We can, as individuals, speak out against the destruction and vote for a new, better direction.

Peace, brothers and sisters. Peace.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/2/25

In the contentious atmosphere of today’s world, it is — or should be — obvious to even the least politically-astute person that the president of any country must possess, at a bare minimum, a knowledge of world history and culture, an understanding of international diplomacy, a cadre of expert advisors, and a willingness to follow (or at least consider) the guidance of those advisors.

It is — or should be — equally obvious that Donald Trump possesses none of the above.

Case in point: His appointment of Sergio Gor to the dual, and potentially conflicting, posts of U.S. Ambassador to India and special envoy to South and Central Asia — a region defined by the U.S. Department of State as including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. [2001-2009.state.gov]

I’ve already covered Gor’s obscure personal history and his total lack of experience or training in a previous article [8/31/25: Mr. Gorokhovsky Goes to India]. Since the announcement of his appointment a few days ago, it has become clear that the Indian government may have its own concerns over the deployment to their country of Trump’s “great friend.” [Cherylann Mollan, BBC News, August 31, 2025.]

While some have said that having a trusted Trump aide in Delhi might be helpful to maintaining close ties between the two countries, others have pointed out that Gor’s dual role would include his involvement in U.S. relations with Pakistan . . . a definite conflict from India’s point of view.

Alyssa Ayres of the Council on Foreign Relations has said:

“The special envoy’s additional designation will likely create some challenges, at least in India. India typically prefers not to be ‘hyphenated’ with Pakistan.” [Id.]

And Lawrence Haas, senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, said that it might also appear to India that Trump doesn’t feel the role of Ambassador to their country is necessarily a full-time job:

“I imagine that India’s leaders will feel slighted and insulted, which will further strain US-India relations.” [Id.]

Haas added that Gor’s lack of diplomatic experience might exacerbate the already strained relationship between the U.S. and India, and that Trump should have chosen someone better able to facilitate improved relations:

“Instead, I suspect that Delhi will interpret this appointment as a slap in the face and further evidence that Trump doesn’t care about the relationship.” [Id.]

If Haas is correct, and Trump does indeed intend to belittle India’s importance in the South/Central Asia region, he may be making a grave miscalculation. Certainly, India does not have the clout of Russia or China. But it does possess an estimated 180 nuclear warheads; it has a population of about 1.5 billion people; and it is — along with Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa — a founding member of BRICS, whose avowed raison d’être is to create a “new world order” to overtake and displace the long-standing political and economic dominance of the United States and Europe.

Which begs the questions:

> Should the U.S. Ambassador to India also serve as special envoy to the nations of South and Central Asia?

> By appointing someone as young and unqualified as Gor to the dual roles of Ambassador and special envoy, would Trump actually be demeaning India? And, if so . . .

> Would Trump — whether intentionally or otherwise — end up strengthening India’s ties with Russia and China, and furthering the goals of the BRICS alliance?

International relations are incredibly complex, and require people with an intimate knowledge, not only of the political histories of other nations, but also a deep sensitivity to their ethnic, religious and social mores. What we need are trained, experienced foreign policy experts and diplomats . . . not deal-making businessmen.

Is it likely that Sergio Gor is the right person to fill that role on behalf of the United States?

Or, for that matter, is there one single individual in the entire Trump administration who is?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/2/25

Oh, yeah . . . same place, same mouth.

What Moscow’s very own reality TV star — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov — had to say on Russian state media yesterday was that the “European party of war” was at fault for blocking U.S. and Russian efforts to end the war in Ukraine, adding:

“We are ready to resolve the problem by political and diplomatic means. But so far we do not see reciprocity from Kyiv in this. So we shall continue the special military operation.” [Guy Faulconbridge, Reuters, August 31, 2025.]

It’s nothing new. In fact, we’ve heard it so often, it’s in danger of becoming a meme. But Peskov’s reiteration yesterday of the Kremlin’s ludicrous allegation is significant because of its juxtaposition to two other events: Vladimir Putin’s participation in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) now underway in China, and the expiration today of Trump’s two-week grace period in which Putin was supposed to have agreed to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

And separately — or not, depending on whether you believe in coincidence — there was a report today that the plane carrying European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen suffered a disruption (jamming) of its navigation system as it was preparing to land at Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Airport on Sunday.

The Financial Times reported, on the basis of information from unnamed sources, that the plane was forced to land with the pilots using paper maps. [Maia Davies and Will Vernon, BBC News, September 1, 2025.]

An EC spokesperson said that they “have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.” [Id.]

The EC added that “threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions,” and that the incident would reinforce its determination to “ramp up our defence capabilities and support for Ukraine.” [Id.]

And what did Dmitry Peskov have to say about the accusation? He simply told the Financial Times: “Your information is incorrect.” [Al Jazeera, September 1, 2025.]

Our Dima is becoming a man of fewer and fewer words.

*. *. *

Whether or not these two incidents are connected, the Kremlin’s farcical accusations against the EU/EC and the European nations comprising the “Coalition of the Willing” in defense of Ukraine, viewed together with the thousands of communications-jamming incidents in the region since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, clearly negate Vladimir Putin’s pronouncements of his country’s desire to bring an end to his so-called “special military operation.”

As if we needed further proof.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/1/25