Donald Trump has been called a lot of things. “Forgiving” is not one of them.

But to carry a grudge for nearly five years, and to continue trying to prove a point that has already been disproved by numerous federal courts and by his own first-term attorney general when there is nothing to be gained . . . well, that defies reason, even for an angry, embittered, supremely sore loser.

Or might there, after all, be something to gain by calling for a special prosecutor to open yet another investigation into former President Joe Biden’s actions during his term in office, as well as Trump’s never-ending insistence that the 2020 election was fraudulent? What purpose could be served by dragging an ill, elderly man through the muck of Trump’s delusions, and submitting the country to yet another ignominious travesty?

Trump would have us believe that he is taking his time and attention away from the country’s very real problems to regurgitate his five-year-old bile for the sole purpose of saving our nation. In his own words:

“Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD! The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!” [Eric Tucker, AP, June 20, 2025.]

Even if he were right — which he isn’t — what would it matter now?

Well, consider this: We’ve all heard his disingenuous comments about a possible third term . . . and even a sly suggestion that there might be a simple way to circumvent the Constitutional two-term limitation.

If the 2020 election were, as he so fervently desires, somehow to be declared null and void, wouldn’t Trump then retroactively declare himself the actual winner? And is it a stretch of the imagination to think he would then proclaim himself entitled to serve out that four-year term, in addition to the one he is currently serving?

In such a cataclysmic event, who would decide these questions . . . The Republican-majority Congress? The conservative-weighted Supreme Court? And what would happen to all of the actions that were taken during Biden’s four-year term?

Any way you look at it, it is a Constitutional nightmare waiting to happen . . . one that would make the Watergate scandal of the ‘70s look like a day at Disney World. And the decision as to the appointment of a special prosecutor rests in the hands of Trump appointee, Attorney General Pam Bondi.

I think I’m going to be sick.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/21/25

If he’s not blowing up rockets, or decimating government agencies, or fathering another little mini-me, it seems that Elon Musk’s favorite pastime these days is fighting with White House personnel.

Being Musk, of course he started at the top of the pyramid, engaging in a little name-calling with Donald Trump before finally apologizing (sort of), when he admitted he had probably gone “too far.”

But he now blames that falling-out on Sergio Gor, head of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, whom he has called a “snake,” and accused of failing to submit the required form for his permanent security clearance. He also has called Gor out for nixing Musk’s recommended choice to head NASA out of spite aimed, not at the nominee, but at Musk himself.

It seems as though everyone in the White House wants to be daddy’s favorite. But, unlike an actual family feud, these internecine scuffles at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue make international headlines. And they usually spread faster than the latest strain of COVID.

Today Musk said that Gor committed a federal crime when “He deliberately lied about where he was born on Federal forms. That’s a serious crime.” [Farrah Tomazin, Daily Beast, June 20, 2025.]

It’s also a serious accusation. I don’t know where Musk got his information, but his isn’t the only mention of Gor’s questionable origins. It has been said that his real name is Sergey Goryachov (or possibly Gorokhovsky) of Saratov, Russia — though these allegations do not appear to be from the most reliable sources.

Without verification, of course, these rumors remain just that: rumors. But in light of the access and authority granted Gor by his position in the White House, perhaps they bear further investigation to determine whether he has indeed lied about his background.

After all, people are being deported for far less.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/20/25

If he can’t get his story straight about something as simple as a holiday, how can he be trusted to take control of the Middle East situation?

“He,” of course, is Donald Trump. And never mind his whiplash-inducing u-turns on the plethora of natural and manmade disasters currently overtaking the planet . . . those are enough to drive anyone mad. But how can we expect any individual to take charge of our futures when he can’t even remember that, during his first term in 2020, he took credit for making Juneteenth “very famous,” when “nobody had ever heard of it.” Or that one of his campaign pledges that year was to make it a federal holiday . . . but that it was actually done by President Joe Biden in 2021.

(But of course, Trump still doesn’t recall that he lost that election, so why would he remember such a little detail?)

Now, however, he wants to eliminate the holiday he once promoted — one that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States — on the specious grounds that we have too many paid holidays as it is . . . not because it recognizes diversity, which we all know is his real reason.

So the man who spends virtually every weekend on the golf course — costing the taxpayers millions of dollars for travel, salaries of his Secret Service entourage, etc. — has this to say to the people who put him into the White House:

“Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up havinng a holiday for every once [sic] working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” [Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN, June 19, 2025.]

Right. We Americans — who already have the second-lowest number of paid vacation days and the fewest paid leave days of any nation in the world [Business Insider, December 6, 2022] — want nothing more than to work ourselves to death for the glorification of the Draft-Dodger-in-Chief.

I’ll sign up for that . . . just as soon as he sells his golf clubs.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/20/25

In a world spinning out of control, it’s necessary now and then to yell “STOP!” . . . and focus instead on those occasional moments that make us smile, whether in appreciation of an act of human kindness, the sight of a child playing with a puppy, or someone doing something so incredibly crazy you just have to laugh.

And I found one of those hilarious moments in a short news item yesterday about an 81-year-old man who tried to drive his car down the famous Spanish Steps in Rome.

Luckily, no one was injured, but his car did get hung up on the lower end of the steep staircase.

The report didn’t say whether he was charged with a traffic violation, but his car had to be removed with the help of a crane. The elderly gentleman, who tested negative for alcohol, told officers that he was on his way to work . . . as though no further explanation was needed. Maybe that’s the way it is in Rome.

There’s no indication of why he chose to travel down the historic, pedestrian-only steps; maybe he was late for work and this was his idea of a shortcut. I have to give him props for still having a job and driving a car at his age, though his apparent lack of judgment makes me wonder whether he shouldn’t consider retiring soon.

In any event, I’m glad he’s okay.

[Story and screen shots from BBC.com, June 19, 2025.]

*. *. *

Then there’s the “weird but kinda cute” category of news story, about something called a “Labubu” — an elf-like little doll from China with a vinyl face and plush body, pointy ears, big eyes, and “a mischievous grin showing exactly nine teeth.” The name doesn’t mean anything, but refers to one of the characters in “The Monsters” toy series created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung. [BBC.com, June 19, 2025.]

For some reason, they seem to be all the rage now — and not just with children. Celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and some others I’ve never heard of are said to be collecting them.

I was going to say something snarky here about there being no accounting for taste; but then I remembered when I collected Beanie Babies . . . not for my children, but for myself. (I wish I’d saved them; they’d probably be worth a fortune now.)

And how many of you are old enough to recall those bright blue Smurfs, the incredibly ugly Cabbage Patch Dolls, and the spooky little Gremlins?

Every generation has its silly obsessions, whether it be Hula Hoops, Barbie dolls, or Hot Wheels. They may seem like nothing but expensive clutter; but if they bring us or our kids a little joy, then doesn’t that make them worth something?

Remembering them certainly brought a smile to my face today. And we can all use a lot more of that.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/20/25

According to his Wikipedia bio, Sergio Gor is Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. Reportedly born in 1986 in the Mediterranean island nation of Malta (though the Maltese government “cannot confirm” his birthplace), he emigrated with his family to the United States in 1999, attended high school in Los Angeles and George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Since college, he has worked for the Republican National Committee; served as a staff member for Congressional Representatives Randy Forbes, Michele Bachmann and Steve King; worked as an associate producer for Fox News, and as Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Rand Paul. He was a top fundraising official for Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, and founded the pro-Trump super-PAC known as Right for America, which spent nearly $72 million during Trump’s 2024 campaign.

And now, as head of the White House Personnel Office, he holds enormous power. His position charges him with the vetting and hiring of around 4,000 Executive-branch staff members . . . which he accomplishes, in part, by “poring over old tweets, political donations and remarks to ensure loyalty to the president.” [Steven Nelson and Diana Glebova, New York Post, June 17, 2025.]

But doubt has arisen as to whether Gor himself has been properly vetted for his own security clearance. According to the New York Post, three administration insiders have said that Gor has not submitted his Standard Form 86, a document containing more than 100 pages of questions required for clearance. Among the bits of information to be provided are statements of where the applicant was born and whether they have any foreign connections. [Id.]

An inquiry to the Maltese government as to Gor’s birth date was responded to as follows:

“No acts are registered with the provided details.” [Id.]

White House counsel David Warrington of course claims that “Mr. Gor is fully compliant with all applicable ethical and legal obligations. His security clearance is active, any insinuation he doesn’t maintain a clearance is false.” [Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, Politico, June 19, 2025.]

Perhaps so. But where there are questions, there should be answers — answers supported by evidence. A copy of his completed application would suffice nicely, along with a copy of his birth certificate or U.S. naturalization documentation. That would certainly put the rumors to rest.

What is most intriguing, though, is that no one outside the White House seems to know who Mr. Gor really is . . . other than the inestimable Elon Musk, who knows him all too well. In fact, it appears that Mr. Gor may have been largely responsible for Musk’s sudden and hasty departure from the Washington political scene.

Musk reportedly refused to work with Gor after a Cabinet meeting in March, where Musk’s criticism of some Cabinet members’ agency cuts prompted Donald Trump to remind Musk that the agency heads — and not Musk or his DOGE cutthroats — had authority over their own departments. [Id.]

And the final blow for Musk may have come when Trump — at Gor’s urging — terminated the nomination of Musk’s pick of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. It was around that time that Musk packed up and left town, and the now-infamous name-calling marathon between Trump and Musk began.

That is a clear indication of the level of influence Gor has with Trump, and all the more reason that his legitimacy should be verified.

Now — while the former BFFs have called a truce of sorts — Musk has turned his attention (and his venom) to Gor, calling him a “snake” in a post on X, and raising the question of whether Gor has indeed been properly vetted for security clearance purposes.

So, are we in for another round of “boys will be boys” insults? Are Musk’s accusations of security breaches in the White House true, or merely guesswork fueled by spite? And does any of it really matter?

Well, yes, unfortunately it does matter . . . and especially if the absence of a proper security clearance turns out to be true. Because then a slew of other questions would arise, such as where Sergio Gor was actually born. If not Malta, then where? (Russia has been suggested by some, but without adequate substantiation.) Is that his real name? Is he actually a U.S. citizen? And if it turns out that he has been improperly acting in his position in the White House, then what about all of those persons he has been responsible for hiring? Are they all to be re-investigated, or even fired?

This could turn out to be a tempest in a teapot . . . or it could be a major headache for the Trump administration. Either way, let’s hope it gets cleared up, and not swept under an expensive White House oriental carpet.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/19/25

War is hell. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt about that.

In today’s more “civilized” societies, however, even war has its rules, such as the humane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war.

But as we all know, there are those nations’ leaders who refuse to be bound by any constraints, or who simply deny that they are guilty of any infractions and continue on their merry way . . . intentionally targeting hospitals, schools, homes, and places of business; raping, torturing and killing civilians; and kidnapping children for “rehoming” and “reeducation.”

And just when we think humanity has sunk as low as it can possibly go, Vladimir Putin has come up with yet another horror to inflict on the victims of his war against Ukraine. In the course of an agreed-upon exchange of the remains of Russian and Ukrainian casualties, he has been sending back to Ukraine the mutilated and mixed-up body parts of their loved ones . . . and some that don’t even belong to them.

Two peace talks in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 failed to result in the hoped-for ceasefire or a path to peace. But one positive outcome was an agreement on repatriations and prisoner exchanges, which have been underway since then. The last stage of a deal to return the remains of more than 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers was completed on June 16th, when Russia sent the final 1,245 bodies (or 1,248, according to Moscow’s figures) back to their homeland.

But Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has reported in a post on Telegram that it was discovered during the complex process of identifying the remains —which involves autopsies, DNA testing, and other procedures — that:

“. . . Russia is also deliberately making the identification process difficult for us. Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies in different bags. There are cases when the remains of one person are returned even during different stages of repatriation. In addition, during the latest repatriations, the bodies of Russian soldiers were also transferred to us — mixed with the bodies of Ukrainians.” [RFE/RL, June 16, 2025.]

A request by RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty for comment from Russian officials has gone unanswered. [Id.]

Klymenko added that Ukrainian specialists “are working at the limit of what is possible” to identify the remains, and that “the biggest challenge is time. We understand the pain and the expectations of families. We are accelerating the identification process as much as possible. But with each large repatriation, it becomes more difficult to do this, and perhaps this is precisely Russia’s goal.” [Id.]

Imagine, if you dare, that you are a Ukrainian parent, spouse, sibling, or lifelong friend of a missing soldier, and that you have just learned that your loved one may have been returned home in pieces, lost in a jumble of mixed-up body parts. Or that you are a Russian citizen, also awaiting the identification of a family member, and you think there is a possibility that his remains may have been sent to Ukraine by your own government.

One would hope that, at best, this new horror is the result of overwork, inefficiency, and stupidity on the part of the Russian officials in charge of their side of the repatriation operation. But, as Minister Klymenko suggested, it might just as easily have been intentional.

If it was, it is unforgivably cruel, malicious, and ghoulish. It may also be a violation of the Geneva Conventions . . . although for Putin, that would be just one more war crime on his record.

And to a person with no conscience, that’s not even worth thinking about.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/19/25

A friend told me the other day that she is becoming physically ill from the stress and depression caused by the deluge of cataclysmic world events . . . a deluge that seems to go on, and on, and on, with no end in sight.

And a family member said yesterday that her way of dealing with it is to push it to the back of her mind and — even though she sees the headlines and is aware of what’s happening — she tries not to dwell on it by immersing herself in other things: her work, her children, her community.

Lying in bed last night, thinking about both of those women, I realized that I fall somewhere between the two: I feel the stress and the emotional debilitation, but I can’t turn away. In fact, I am that person who, when confronted with the most horrific sight — a train falling off the track, or a loved one breathing their last breath — cannot look away. I am unable to evade the truth, or to choose ignorance.

But neither will I allow reality, no matter how terrible, to get the better of me. I may be unable to change the situation; but neither will I let it destroy me. And since I no longer have the distractions of a job or small children to occupy me, I have found my own way of dealing with the ill effects of the world’s events: I write about them.

And it helps. That is why you see me here, endlessly expounding on subjects ranging from wars in foreign lands, to the disastrous excesses of the current U.S. administration, to natural disasters, to personal reminiscences, and sometimes even detouring into the odd bit of humor or whimsy. And each time another person reads one of my articles, I feel a little less alone in a world I can’t control.

So thank you, dear reader, for being there. You are my unseen support system.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/18/25

Happily, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are still around. But they’re older now, as we all are . . . no longer the two young, eager, junior investigative journalists who worked for the Washington Post in the 1970s.

And more’s the pity.

Because this country has never been more desperately in need of the sort of fearless investigation and reporting we saw from the likes of that pair when they exposed the break-in at Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972 — 53 years ago yesterday.

Their subsequent reporting, followed by their 1974 book titled “All the President’s Men”, broke open a web of corruption, lies and cover-ups that led to the downfall of the Nixon administration . . . proving to the world that in the United States, no one — not even the President himself — was above the law.

But that was then, when the media, the courts and Congress were free to do their jobs without fear of intervention, threats, or retribution.

And this is now, when . . .

Oh, well . . . what more can I add?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/18/25

Leaving the G7 summit in the western Canadian province of Alberta yesterday, Donald Trump said that his early departure was necessitated by an urgent meeting of the National Security Council in Washington concerning the rapidly escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

In his typically belligerent, “I am the boss” style, he wrote on social media that “Our patience is wearing thin,” and that

“He [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] is an easy target, but is safe there [in hiding] – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”

“At least not for now” . . . ??!!!

Later, aboard Air Force One — he added, “I’m not looking for a ceasefire, we’re looking at something better than a ceasefire.” [RFE/RL, June 17, 2025.]

He also warned on his Truth Social site: “Iran should have signed the ‘deal.’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT [sic] HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again. Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” [Id.]

A serious threat, for sure. But in a region — just in terms of modern times, and leaving out its ancient history — that has been in conflict since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, is it really likely to be enough?

*. *. *

Unfortunately, Trump’s hasty return home caused him to miss the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky . . . although popular opinion is that it would not likely have been a happy meeting, in view of Trump’s recent statement that the former G8 had been wrong in ejecting Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Trump called it a “big mistake,” and said he believes Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine would never have occurred had the G8 not taken that action eight years earlier.

Trump then added:

“Putin speaks to me. He doesn’t speak to anybody else. . . . He’s not a happy person about it. I can tell you that he basically doesn’t even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him.” [Id.]

Well, of course he agrees that Putin shouldn’t be speaking to the other G7 members. That positions Trump as the sole interlocutor between Putin and the others, affording him the sort of control he thrives on.

Clearly, the newest Middle East conflict hasn’t made the Russia-Ukraine war go away . . . and with Putin’s continued stalling, and his increasingly devastating attacks on Kharkiv, Kyiv and elsewhere, that’s not going to happen in the immediate future either.

*. *. *

It all makes me wonder, not for the first time, why anyone would ever want to be president. But then, I’m not a power-crazed tyrant.

In the hilarious 1981 film, History of the World, Mel Brooks famously boasted, “It’s good to be the king.”

But I’m thinking that today, in 2025, it must be lonely as hell . . . unless, of course, standing by yourself on top of a rubbish heap is your idea of happiness.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/18/25

One hundred forty years ago today, on June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor. A gift of friendship from the people of France, her 350 sculpted pieces of copper and iron had been packed in more than 200 cases, to be reassembled and dedicated the following year.

And there she has stood, for nearly a century and a half, proudly proclaiming the freedom and hope she has offered to the millions of people throughout the world seeking a better life for themselves and their future generations.

She has been a symbol of the greatness of a nation that was built by the hands of refugees from every continent except Antarctica . . . immigrants without whom there would be no America of today.

Let us pray that she will still be there, proud and tall and welcoming, four years from now . . . and not bowed down in the shame and despair of failure.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/17/25