And what a day it has been!

In an extravaganza reminiscent of the displays of power favored by the leaders of the Soviet Union, Russia hauled out its finest military armaments, including Yars missile systems, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and — for the first time — a column of trucks carrying combat drones. And after an absence of two years, there was a traditional fly-by of military aircraft over Red Square.

Despite heavy security prompted by fears of possible attack by Ukrainian drones, and travel difficulties caused by the refusal of neighboring Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to permit travel of arriving foreign dignitaries over their air space, an estimated 27 world leaders friendly to Vladimir Putin were in attendance.

First among equals was, of course, China’s Xi Jinping, who sat beside Putin on the reviewing stand and wore a symbolic Russian orange-and-black St. George ribbon. Xi had brought with him more than 100 Chinese soldiers, who marched in the parade on Red Square . . . a sign of the burgeoning partnership between the two countries.

There were also military contingents from North Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia . . . though the North Koreans did not march in the parade, despite having sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Perhaps their presence would have been too great a reminder of the “special military operation” still taking place in Ukraine — reference to which was expressly forbidden during the ceremonies.

There was, however, a post-parade hug between Putin and a North Korean officer representing his government in the absence of Kim Jong Un . . . who was said to have symbolically participated by visiting the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang.

Not unexpectedly, other leaders who accepted Putin’s invitation to the party included Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil; Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi; and Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority. One surprise guest was Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, whose country has applied for EU membership and who, by attending the festivities in Moscow, placed his nation at risk of forfeiting that membership.

Also risking censure was Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia — the only EU member in attendance, who has made no secret of his friendship with Putin.

The main event in Red Square began with the arrival of 11,000 troops, led by their commander, Oleg Salyukov, and an inspection by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. Putin’s address followed, in which he said that Russia “was and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia, antisemitism. Truth and justice are on our side . . . the entire country, society and people support the participants” [of the war in Ukraine]. [Jessica Rawnsley and Paul Kirby, BBC News, May 9, 2025.]

How interesting that Putin should have made that rather oblique reference to the war — something that he had declared verboten for others. But, being able to pick and choose what to promote as “facts” is one of the privileges of rank.

For example, he claims that Ukraine is now controlled by neo-Nazis who allegedly ousted a Russian-friendly president 11 years ago and now persecute Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, May 9, 2025.]

He also accuses the United States and NATO of aggression for having admitted former Warsaw Pact members such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In his comments today, he countered Donald Trump’s remarks of two days ago that “victory was mostly accomplished because of [the United States], like it or not. We came into that war. We won that war.” [Id.]

In rebuttal, Putin said: “We [Russians] remember the lessons of World War II, and we will never agree with distortion of its events, with attempts to justify the executioners and slander the real winner. Truth and justice [are] on our side. The entire country, all of society, the people support the participants of the special military operation.” [Id.]

*. *. *

It never stops, does it? They’re like a couple of kids running a race, each declaring he crossed the finish line first, neither one willing to accept the fact that they both ran a damned good race.

The truth of the matter is, World War II was won by the Allied forces — all of them. Without the U.S. joining the fray in 1941, the fate of Europe might have taken a completely different turn. And without the Soviet Union opening up the Eastern front, the ending might also have been quite different. We all worked together then, against a common enemy . . . and the good guys won.

And then it all went to hell in something called the Cold War.

We never learn, do we?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/9/25

Are there any positions remaining to be filled in the upper echelon of the Trump administration? Or anyone about to be the first to quit or be fired? If so, I have the perfect candidate to fill the slot:

Meet . . . the Blue-Footed Booby.

It doesn’t matter which position is open; qualifications for the job aren’t important. At least, they haven’t been so far this year. And this Booby at least looks alert, possibly even intelligent, and raring to go. And he’s seriously cute.

It’s true that he would have to be imported from the Galapagos Islands, but I’m sure ICE would find a way to waive the new immigration restrictions for this guy, if the boss tells them to. I mean, if they can do it for white South African “asylum seekers” . . .

In fact, I think I already have the perfect spot for him: Surgeon General of the United States. I know Donald Trump has someone else in mind — a dropout doctor and current “wellness influencer,” seller of medical devices and supplements, and practitioner of something called “functional medicine.” Her name is Casey Means. Together with her brother, Calley Means, she published “Good Energy” — a book that supposedly became popular with Trump campaign staffers and with that most notable of snake-oil salesmen, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. [Liz Essley Whyte, Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2025.]

According to her Wikipedia profile, her medical license has been inactive since 2024. But no matter.

While Means did manage to get through Stanford University, she dropped out of her surgical residency, saying she was frustrated by what she considered medicine’s “inability to treat patients’ underlying, chronic causes of ill health.” She achieved some prominence after being interviewed by the likes of Tucker Carlson and podcaster Joe Rogan. She says that “The system is rigged against the American patient to create diseases and then profit off of them.” [WSJ, op.cit.]

Not surprisingly, her views are sometimes in conflict with those of public health officials, including her questioning of the safety of vaccines (though not publicly identifying as an anti-vaxxer). Consider, for example, her comments on the efficacy of raw milk:

“When it comes to a question like raw milk, I want to be free to form a relationship with a local farmer, understand his integrity, look him in the eyes, pet his cow, and then decide if I feel safe to drink the milk from his farm.” [Id.]

So . . . meet a farmer, pet a cow, ignore proven scientific research, become Surgeon General. The new fast track to success.

But — and call me crazy, if you like — somehow I’d feel safer in the hands (or wings) of a Blue-Footed Booby, rather than a couple of screwball human ones.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/9/25

There are some things we change daily. Underwear comes immediately to mind.

And, while perhaps not daily, it’s a good idea — and sometimes just fun — to make small changes to our routines . . . maybe a different breakfast cereal, a more scenic route to work in the morning, or a new hair style.

But the world map is not underwear. It’s not cereal, or a haircut. Yet Donald Trump keeps trying to remake it as though it were his own plaything.

First it was renaming the Gulf of Mexico, calling it — for whatever reason (ego? a power trip?) — the Gulf of America. As though Mexico doesn’t matter.

*. *. *

Then he said the U.S. should simply take over Gaza and turn it into another Trump-themed playground for the world’s rich and famous. As though the Palestinians don’t matter.

*. *. *

He’s also in favor of renaming the Persian Gulf, instead calling it the Arabian Gulf, or Gulf of Arabia. As though the entire history of the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire never mattered.

*. *. *

He’s threatening to steal Greenland from Denmark. Clearly, the lives of the Greenlanders don’t matter . . . to him.

*. *. *

He keeps trying to persuade Canadians that they’d be better off as part of the United States. Fat chance there!

*. *. *

He wants to reclaim the Panama Canal Zone on the spurious ground that he’d be protecting it from a takeover by China. Excuse me?

*. *. *

And with all of that, I have to wonder . . . could this be next:

The United States of Trumplandia?

*. *. *

Sorry, but my only reaction is . . .

“What the f*ck??!!!”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/8/25

You’d think it would be fairly simple to understand a person’s thinking on a subject as straightforward as a strong country’s unprovoked attack on another, weaker country, followed by more than three years of death, destruction, and sadistic brutality.

But I do believe that even Dr. Freud would be banging his head against the wall and screaming in frustration, trying to second-guess Donald Trump’s next move as he attempts to mediate a settlement of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

In all fairness, Trump himself has to be going half-mad from the failure of his efforts to deal with Vladimir Putin’s capriciousness, his outrageous demands, his twisting of facts, and his pig-headed refusal to give an inch in what he calls his desire to negotiate. Trump’s maintaining a public aura of toughness with someone he’s actually trying desperately to appease . . . well, that can’t be easy, even for one who is himself so inherently duplicitous.

But this back-and-forth, up-and-down, hot-and-cold, reactive method of persuasion is clearly not working. One day he offers Putin concessions — a return to the G7, lifting of sanctions, telling Ukraine to forget NATO. The next day, when the attacks on Ukraine continue, or when Russia breaches its own unilateral “Easter ceasefire,” Trump says he’s losing patience, and threatens to up the ante by invoking further sanctions. And so it continues.

Until yesterday, when JD Vance — who, of course, is speaking on behalf of Trump — reiterates one of their earlier threats: a withdrawal from negotiations in order to force Russia and Ukraine to deal directly with each other. At an event in Washington, he said:

“You don’t need to agree with Russian justification of the war, but you need to understand where they are coming from — making them talk of what it takes for them to end the war. [The] Russians are asking for [a] certain set of things, and we think they are asking too much. The step we need to take right now is we need Russia and Ukraine to start talking to one another. We think it’s probably impossible for us to mediate the whole process fully without at least some direct negotiations.” [RFE/RL, May 7, 2025.]

Well, that’s nothing new. Or is it? Note the last sentence: “We think it’s probably impossible for us to mediate the whole process fully without at least some direct negotiations.”

“Impossible”? For Donald Trump, the presidential candidate who promised — not only the American people, but the entire world — that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office? For the man whose self-proclaimed infallibility never permits the thought of “impossibility” to enter his mind?

Is he truly giving up? Or is it just another idle threat . . . a ploy that he hopes will convince Vladimir Putin that it’s time to be realistic and make a couple of concessions to bring his bloody battle to an end?

To the outsider, however, there sometimes is such a thing as an impossibility . . . and fathoming Donald Trump’s mercurial decision-making is one of those things.

Vance did have it right when he spoke of the “need to understand where they [the Russians] are coming from.” But one thing is very clear, and that is, that Trump has no grasp of the workings of Vladimir Putin’s mind . . . or of the Russian psyche in general. Nor do any of his emissaries: Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth, Steve Witkoff, or any of the other businessmen he has appointed to play the roles of seasoned diplomats.

All of their billions of dollars combined cannot buy them the one thing they lack: On-the-ground experience.

And Vladimir Putin knows it.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/8/25

You remember Mike Pence. He was Donald Trump’s Vice-President during the first Trump administration, always supportive and loyal to his boss . . . until that fateful day on January 6, 2021, when right-wing extremists attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the government.

Pence was in the Capitol that day, along with his wife and daughter, and came very close to losing his life at the hands of that mob. He knew it wasn’t a peaceful demonstration, as Trump alleged . . . and still does.

Even before that day, Trump had been pressuring Pence to use his constitutional authority over the counting of electoral college votes to attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election . . . you know, the one that Trump still claims he won. Delusion is a terrible thing.

But Pence knew that his first loyalty was not to an individual who just happened to occupy the Oval Office, but to the Constitution and the people of the United States. And so he refused to obey that order. For that, he has just received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, and deservedly so.

In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins the day after receiving the award, Pence lauded the bravery of the U.S. Capitol Police officers who fought off the attackers and secured the building on January 6th. He recalled hearing some of the rioters chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” and says that “None of [the officers] flinched. Their courage, their bravery, should be heralded for generations to come, because they secured the Capitol and allowed us to reconvene the veery same day and complete our work under the Constitution.” [Eric Bradner, CNN, May 5, 2025.]

He went on to say:

“I was deeply disappointed to see President Trump pardon people that engaged in violence against law enforcement officers that day. The president has every right under the Constitution to grant pardons, but in that moment, I thought it sent the wrong message.” [Id.]

And he made some tactful, but clearly critical, remarks about policies of Trump’s second administration with which he strongly disagrees, including onerous tariffs, the selection of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as Health and Human Services Secretary, and Trump’s “wavering support for Ukraine.” [Id.]

And then he added this:

“Whatever the future holds for me, I’m going to try and be a consistent voice for those conservative values that I think are not only the right policy for the Republican Party, but I think they’re the best way forward for a boundless future for the American people.” [Id.]

“Whatever the future holds for me . . .”

Maybe I’m wrong, but those sound to me like the words of a man considering a run for office. In light of the other options presently out there, the Republican party could do worse . . . though a lot can change in a couple of years. We shall see.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/7/25

It has been 35 years since the Berlin Wall fell and Eastern European countries began, one after another, casting off the yoke of the Soviet occupation.

Since then, an entire generation has been born and matured . . . a generation that never knew the horrors of living under communism. But what about their parents? Have they forgotten what it was like, or how desperately they fought — and how many lives were lost — in order to break free?

It seems impossible that their memories could be so short. Yet there are those who are turning back to that era . . . leaning so far to the political right that they are electing governments friendly to Vladimir Putin, despite the ever-increasing repressions of his regime.

There is Belarus’ presumptive President, Aleksandr Lukashenko; Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban; Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico; and now, it appears that Romania is set to elect right-wing Eurosceptic George Simion, who just won 40.9% of Sunday’s vote and is favored to win a run-off vote on May 18th.

Is it coincidence that these people have come to power while Putin is demonstrating more and more clearly his goal of reasserting Russia’s hegemony over those parts of Eastern Europe that were once contained within the USSR’s Eastern Bloc? How much simpler would it be for him if those countries voluntarily submitted to his influence, saving him the trouble and expense of additional “special military operations” like the one currently underway in Ukraine?

It’s already well known that Lukashenko in Belarus has been Putin’s puppet for years. Given Russia’s history of election interference in countries throughout the world, it seems far more likely that Hungary, Slovakia and Romania are falling victim to the same sort of “peaceful invasion” . . . a coup by ballot, so to speak . . . without a shot being fired.

It’s insidious; it’s clever; and it’s working. And with all three countries maintaining membership in NATO, the EU, and the Schengen Zone, it’s a serious problem.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/7/25

I’ve always considered myself a fairly good judge of character . . . not infallible, by any means, but pretty good. And I’ve found over the years that the eyes are, as alluded to by my old pal Shakespeare, indeed the windows to the soul.

And as examples, I offer you a glimpse into the souls of some famous — or infamous — people. I’ll tell you what I see, though I expect you will draw your own conclusions.

*. *. *

No.. 1: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin — I see deep-seated anger, hatred and determination.

*. *. *

No. 2: Adolph Hitler — Stark raving madness.

*. *. *

No. 3: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin — Bone-chilling evil.

*. *. *

No. 4: Donald Trump — Pure meanness and a sadistic streak.

*. *. *

No. 5: Elon Musk — Lost in space.

*. *. *

No. 6: Gotcha! This one is Yoda, and he’s just for fun. He’s also the only one of this bunch I would trust with my money or the lives of my children. To me, his eyes display wisdom and decency (despite being a little bloodshot).

*. *. *

Obviously, I had the advantage of already knowing a good deal about the history of each of these individuals. But I had never heard of Vladimir Putin when he first became President of Russia in 1999. And when a friend asked me what I thought about Putin at the time, I answered truthfully that I really didn’t have any information on which to judge his abilities . . . but that something in his eyes frightened me. The word I used then — and still do — was “evil.”

I think I got that one right. As for the others, what do you think?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/6/25

This is a happy follow-up to an earlier story (April 27th) about a woman in danger of being imprisoned in Russia for speaking out against Vladimir Putin.

In February of this year, Russian journalist and film critic Yekaterina Barabash was arrested and charged with “spreading lies” about Russia’s war against Ukraine. In April, she was sentenced to two months of house arrest. She had already been designated a “foreign agent” by the Russian Justice Ministry, and knew that it was just a matter of time before more serious charges — likely carrying a prison sentence — would be levied against her.

As a film critic who has worked for Radio France Internationale, and has been an occasional guest on RFE/RL’s Russian Service programs, she has been openly critical of Vladimir Putin’s clampdown on any and all criticism of his war against Ukraine.

On April 13th, when authorities went to her apartment to carry out a routine check, Barabash was not at home — a violation of the terms of her two-month confinement — and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Nothing had been heard from her since then.

And finally, yesterday — May 5th — Barabash appeared at a news conference in Paris, organized by advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), to reveal that she had fled Russia across multiple borders, by way of secret channels arranged by unnamed activists, and remained in hiding for two weeks before making her whereabouts known.

RSF’s director, Thibaut Bruttin, said: “Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF [has] been involved in since Russia’s draconian laws of March 2022.” [RFE/RL, May 5, 2025.]

While it is certainly encouraging to know that resources exist through which people like Barabash are able to escape Putin’s purge of those who dare to speak out against his repressive regime, it is nonetheless heartbreaking to realize what his measures have meant to his victims. In Barabash’s case, she had to leave behind her 96-year-old mother, whom she could not even contact before fleeing.

“I just understood that I’d never see her again,” she said.

And she told the news conference that now, “There are no Russian journalists. Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.” [Id.]

*. *. *

As I congratulate Yekaterina Barabash on her courage and her successful escape, at the same time I fear for all of the others still in harm’s way.

And I have to wonder: Could that happen here?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/6/25

How comforting! How reassuring!

Vladimir Putin says he “hopes” it won’t be necessary to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Putin has just starred in a film for state television titled “Russia, Kremlin, Putin, 25 Years.” In it, he is interviewed — in English — by a Kremlin-approved reporter, while being given a tour of Putin’s luxurious Kremlin apartment, and served kefir (a sort of liquid yogurt) and gourmet chocolates.

While seated next to a portrait of Tsar Aleksandr III — himself a tyrannical 19th-century autocrat — Putin is asked by the reporter about the risk of nuclear escalation resulting from the “military operation” in Ukraine. His response:

“They wanted to provoke us so that we made mistakes. There has been no need to use those weapons … and I hope they will not be required. We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.” [Reuters, May 4, 2025.]

And then he shows the reporter his small private chapel, in which he supposedly kneels and prays on occasion.

This, from the man who still believes the breakup of the Soviet Union was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] century” . . .

. . . who cites Ukraine’s desire to be admitted to NATO as the cause of his — Putin’s — invasions of 2014 and 2022 . . .

. . . who claims that it is Russia’s divine right to “take back” Ukraine as its territory . . .

. . . who declares an Easter ceasefire while continuing to bombard Ukrainian cities . . .

. . . who kidnaps and holds captive thousands of Ukrainian children for the sole purpose of turning them into model Russian citizens . . .

. . . who hypocritically attends church services while simultaneously ordering the destruction of a sovereign nation and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of combatants and civilians.

*. *. *

In the obviously choreographed film — nothing more than a public relations attempt at presenting himself as the savior of the Russian people — he speaks of his 25 years in power:

“I don’t feel like some kind of politician. I continue to breathe the very same air as millions of Russian citizens. It is very important. God willing that it continues as long as possible. And that it doesn’t disappear.” [Id.]

What he should be praying for is that he doesn’t become the instrument of his own, and his country’s, disappearance. Because if he ever deems it “necessary” to resort to the use of nuclear weapons, he might want first to think back to the effect of the explosion at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear facility in 1986, which led to the contamination of some 58,000 square miles throughout Europe — the highest radiation levels being measured in Ukraine, Belarus . . . and Russia itself.

The use of nuclear weapons — even the lower-yield, tactical ones — could result in incalculable fallout . . . both physical and political . . . and an escalation from which the world might never recover.

*. *. *

There is a cautionary instruction that is taught to people first learning to use firearms: Do not put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot.

That’s good advice, Mr. Putin.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/5/25

Nope . . . not this Rock:

Happily, Dwayne Johnson hasn’t gone away, and doesn’t need to return.

But this one — notorious Alcatraz Island — appears to be making a comeback as a federal prison:

Donald Trump said yesterday, in a message on his ironically-named Truth Social site, that he is directing the government to reopen and expand Alcatraz — the notorious prison of yesteryear, located on an island off the coast of San Francisco and currently in use as a tourist attraction. His message said that:

“ . . . for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders,” and that the reopening of Alcatraz would serve as a “symbol of law, order, and justice. Today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ . . . [to] house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” [Gabriela Pomeroy, BBC News, May 4, 2025.]

Obviously, I have no way of knowing how much study or — perish the thought — research Trump may have put into this, so I decided to do a bit of it myself.

In principle, the idea has merit. If it were to serve its proper purpose as a federal prison, then it might be worthwhile. But it’s not without some major “ifs” and “buts.”

Alcatraz Prison was closed in 1963 due to the economic unfeasibility of maintaining it . . . it cost triple what other major prisons across the country cost to operate. It was thereafter claimed by a group of Native American activists who occupied the island without authorization until finally being evicted by U.S. Marshals in 1971. In 1972, it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and is now open as a public tourist attraction, despite the fact that no efforts have been made to repair the buildings. In addition to general decay and weathering, four of its buildings were destroyed by fire in 1970. [Britannica.com.]

So restoring it won’t be easy, or cheap. One unofficial estimate is that it would cost between $235M and $370M to restore, and $40-60M annually to operate as a prison. [John A. Daly, x.com, May 4, 2025.]

As a tourist attraction, Alcatraz currently draws about 1.2 million visitors per year, at an average charge per ticket of about $45 (less for children), thus grossing around $54,000,000. But the National Park Service estimates the cost of maintaining the island as a tourist attraction is around $36,500,000, plus overall daily operational and maintenance costs, which are substantial due to its isolated location, exposure to sea spray, etc. Thus, it really isn’t what one would call a money-maker.

But at least it pays for itself. Conversely, bringing it back up to speed and operating it as a prison would require a tremendous outlay of cash, year after year. So the big question is: Would it be worth it?

And that all depends on two things:

First, where in the federal budget would those funds come from? What would have to be cut in order to afford it?

And second, what will it really be used for? Is it just an excuse to be able to round up more “undesirables” — i.e., anyone Donald Trump considers a threat to “his” country? Or will it house actual, dangerous criminals, thus relieving overcrowding in existing prisons? And will it stop the mass deportation of immigrants . . . many of them guilty of nothing other than being from another country?

Of course, we will hear promises that it will all be accomplished in the most economical way, without further pain to taxpayers . . . and with complete transparency as to its operation. But will it?

We shall see.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/5/25