On this date in 1886 — 139 years ago — the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

Originally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World,” she was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, commemorating the alliance of the two nations during the American Revolution more than a century earlier.

And there she has stood, tall and proud, her torch lighting the way to countless immigrants seeking refuge from persecution and poverty. In 1903, a bronze plaque was mounted inside her pedestal, inscribed with the now-famous sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus,” which reads in part:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Those “huddled masses” included the likes of Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Enrico Fermi, Joseph Pulitzer, Irving Berlin . . . as well as my grandparents, and probably yours. These were people who thrived and worked to make America what it is today.

Or what it has been, until recently, when those words ceased to have meaning, and the torch in New York Harbor lost its light.

To Lady Liberty, and to the world: We Americans are so, so sorry. With luck and perseverance, may her next birthday be a happier one.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/28/25

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cadre of government and military officials have, since the start of their “special military operation” against Ukraine, consistently maintained that they do not target civilians, residential buildings, or civilian infrastructure.

Well, then, the world would like them to explain this:

. . . and this:

. . . and this:

. . . and this:

And now, based on interviews with 226 victims, witnesses, aid workers, and local authorities, in addition to hundreds of verified online videos, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has found that Russian forces have been using drones to chase civilians from their homes in Ukrainian-held territory near the front lines, following them with cameras and attacking them as they attempt to flee to shelter.

The Commission’s report on its inquiry is to be presented to the UN General Assembly this week. It states in part that the attacks “amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population. . . . Russian authorities have systematically coordinated actions to drive out Ukrainian civilians from their place of residence by drone attacks, as well as deportations and transfers.” [RFE/RL, October 28, 2025.]

The report continues: “For over one year, Russian armed forces have been directing drone attacks against an extensive range of civilian targets, including people, houses or buildings, humanitarian distribution points, and critical energy infrastructure. . . . [Russian troops] intentionally target civilians and civilian objects and cause harm and destruction. They even hit first responders . . .” — including ambulance crews and firefighters, despite the clear markings on their vehicles. [Id.]

The Commission has previously charged Russia with war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in connection with the forced transfer and deportation (translation: kidnapping) of Ukrainian children. But Russia does not recognize the authority of the Commission, and has not responded to requests for access, information and meetings.

Yet the evidence is clear and damning. So, in the face of their continued denials, how can we be expected to trust anything they say?

The truth is, we can’t. And Donald Trump’s belief that he understands Vladimir Putin, or has any influence over him, is nothing but a pipe dream.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/28/25

The home front in question being, of course, this place . . .

. . . or what’s left of it:

But let’s try to overlook the sacrilegious external devastation for now, and see what’s going on indoors, even as its principal occupant is traveling in the Far East, making life difficult for yet another segment of the world’s population.

First, there has been more talk — mainly from former insider Steve Bannon — about a plan for Donald Trump to run for the presidency again in 2028, when he will be 82 years old, presumably even more demented than he already is, and Constitutionally ineligible for another term.

“Impossible,” you say? Maybe . . . but Trump himself doesn’t seem to think so, having raised the subject more than once. Aboard Air Force One a couple of days ago, however, he said — not quite truthfully, but what else is new? — that:

“I haven’t really thought about it. But I have the best poll numbers that I’ve ever had.” [Bernd Debusmann, Jr., BBC, October 27, 2025.]

Seriously . . . Where does he get this stuff?!! According to The Economist, his net approval rating as of today is -17%. That’s minus 17%, down half a percentage point since last week. The polls show a 39% approval rate, 56% disapproval, and 5% uncertain (or simply too tired to care).

But Bannon, who inexplicably continues to support his former boss, remains unmoved. Ignoring the statistics, he told The Economist:

“Trump is going to be president in ‘28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.” [Id.]

*. *. *

All right, enough of that nightmare scenario.

In other delightful news, ICE has taken into custody British author and commentator Sami Hamdi, who has been in the U.S. on a speaking tour. He spoke at a gala of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Sacramento, California, on Saturday, and was about to travel to another CAIR event in Florida when he was detained at San Francisco International Airport. His visa has been revoked, and he has been told he would be deported rather than be allowed to continue his scheduled tour. His crime? Speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Following Hamdi’s detention, Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin posted on X:

“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country.” [Reuters, October 26, 2025.]

CAIR issued the following statement:

“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech.” [Id.]

But this is not a unique event; it is just one of numerous cases of visitors’ visas being revoked for speaking out against the late Charlie Kirk, and of holders of student visas or green cards being deported for criticizing Israel or voicing support of Palestinian causes since January. It has become standard government policy to silence those who dare to disagree with Trump.

And it is no different than this man’s modus operandi:

Vladimir Putin was elected to his first full term as president of Russia in 2000, when that country’s Constitution provided for two consecutive four-year terms. But by ramming through Parliament — which, of course, he controls absolutely — a series of Constitutional amendments extending those terms, he has remained in office for a quarter of a century, and is good to go for at least one more six-year term. Because that is how dictators operate.

And thousands of journalists and political dissidents are currently languishing in Russian prisons and penal colonies, charged with specious crimes but in reality for having committed the simple act of speaking out against Putin’s war in Ukraine, or criticizing any of his oppressive laws and policies. Because that, too, is how dictators roll.

So I ask you: Other than physically, what difference is there between these two?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/28/25

As we once again approach the end of Daylight Saving Time (this coming Sunday, for whatever reason at 2:00 a.m.), I am, as always, ambivalent in my feelings toward this twice-yearly ritual of forcing our body clocks to conform to our timepieces.

While we all think we know why it was instituted: to accommodate farmers — which isn’t true because it really sends the animals into a tailspin — or to extend the late daytime hours as a fuel-saving device during World Wars I and II, the real blame can be laid at the door of the venerable American statesman, Benjamin Franklin.

In 1784, Franklin wrote a satirical letter suggesting that people wake up earlier to make better use of daylight and save on candle wax. Despite his many recorded tidbits of wisdom, this was one idea he should have kept to himself.

Thanks a lot, Ben.

But he wasn’t the only one with the same not-so-bright idea. In 1895, New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed a two-hour time shift so that he might have more evening daylight for his bug-collecting hobby. That obviously did not go down well with the majority of non-insect-obsessed folks.

And British builder William Willett suggested in 1907 that an extra hour of summer daylight would benefit his golf game. I’m guessing his wife put the kibosh on that one.

Today, we no longer depend on candles to light our homes; and, while there are (sadly) still wars erupting in various parts of the world, we have solar and nuclear energy to supplement the use of fossil fuels in powering our bloody attacks on our fellow human beings.

So why do we still need to mess with our circadian rhythm every spring and fall?

The simple answer is: We don’t. And I’m wondering why Congress doesn’t take a little time off from its endless, hate-filled, internecine battling and put through a simple, non-controversial, non-partisan bill eliminating an outdated tradition that would actually make the vast majority of people happy.

Pretty please?

*. *. *

Another random thought for a rainy Monday: On this date in 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended as the United States and the Soviet Union each took a step back from confrontation and avoided nuclear war.

And it occurs to me that this might be the perfect time for Vladimir Putin to do what Nikita Khrushchev did 63 years ago: come to his senses and give a little. Khrushchev withdrew his offensive missiles from Cuba; in exchange, John F. Kennedy withdrew America’s defensive weapons from Turkiye.

Today, perhaps Putin could give up his expansionist claims to Ukrainian territory if Donald Trump could convince Volodymyr Zelensky to, say, agree not to pursue membership in NATO.

I know it’s not nearly that simple; but a girl can dream, can’t she?

*. *. *

And finally, today is also the anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth in 1858. In keeping with the approach of Halloween in a few days, I’m reminded of the years I lived with T.R. — not back in the 19th century, obviously, but with his spirit in his former home on 19th Street, N.W., in Washington, D.C.

His is the only ghost I’ve ever actually encountered, and happily he was a friendly one — mischievous and playful, as he is reputed to have been in life. I’ve written earlier in this blog about that ten-year adventure (see, Reflections #10: “On Watergate and Other Ghosts of Washington”), so I won’t go into it here. But I would like to wish Teddy a very happy 167th birthday, and to say thanks for the memories.

*. *. *

And with that, I wish all of you a pleasant remainder of your day. I’ll be back later with my take on the day’s news, but it’s time now for a little break.

As always, thanks for reading.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/27/25

Kirill Dmitriev is the CEO of the $10 billion sovereign wealth fund known as the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). He also acts as Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, and in that latter capacity, he recently said:

“I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution.” [RFE/RL, October 25, 2025.]

However, he also called the most recent sanctions against Russia’s two largest energy companies “pointless.” And to prove his point, this is what occurred overnight yesterday in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv:

In an air attack on two high-rise residential apartment buildings, three people were killed and at least 32 others — including several children — were severely injured.

And in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, a kindergarten — a kindergarten! — was struck by a Russian-launched Shahed drone, trapping 48 little children in its shelter. This was part of the aftermath of that attack:

Despite Vladimir Putin’s transparently false protestations that his forces do not target civilian infrastructure, and notwithstanding Kirill Dmitriev’s baseless assurances that a diplomatic resolution to Putin’s war of attrition against Ukraine is in the offing, the slaughter continues unabated.

But in every war and after every natural disaster, against all the odds, ordinary people react instinctively to perform deeds of courage, kindness and selflessness. And from the rubble, heroes are born.

Yesterday’s kindergarten attack brought out more than the trained first responders; average citizens also came rushing to the scene to rescue the four dozen little ones trapped in the building’s shelter.

And this one photo of a man carrying a child away from the horror she had just survived — wrapped in his coat to protect her from the surrounding smoke and debris — has become the symbol of the strength, bravery, fortitude, and unflagging humanity the Ukrainian people have exhibited through nearly four years of Putin’s onslaught.

With such horrifying, indisputable photographic evidence, I cannot imagine that anyone — or, at least, anyone with a modicum of intelligence and empathy — might still question who is the victim and who is the villain in this war.

Yet, some do. And that is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/27/25

It’s the fencing bout that seems destined never to end. Vladimir Putin threw down the proverbial gauntlet in 2022 when he declared his intentions toward the “fair maiden” of his dreams: Ukraine.

Donald Trump took up the challenge — not because he wanted to win the hand of the fair maiden for himself, but because his claimed title of the “Peace President” and his fragile ego were at stake.

Day after day, month after month since then, one thrusts, the other parries, then they reverse positions to do it over . . . and over . . . and over again. Meanwhile, both prizes — Putin’s beautiful Ukraine and Trump’s precious ego — have suffered immeasurably.

And yet, despite our exhaustion and disillusionment, we continue to watch with unabated fascination because — like a train wreck in slow motion — the stakes are too high to allow us to look away.

Once again, the past two days have brought us through another exchange of challenges, yet no closer to a resolution. On Friday, October 24th, Kirill Dmitriev — Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, currently in Washington for three days of high-level meetings — said with regard to the war in Ukraine:

“I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution.” [RFE/RL, October 25, 2025.]

Yet he offered no basis for his opinion. Instead, he blithely dismissed the adverse effects of the latest round of U.S. and EU sanctions, saying:

“So I think the real issue is how to continue a dialogue how to have a peaceful resolution to the crisis while having realistic solutions rather than put forward unrealistic solutions.” [Id.]

Typical diplomatic double-speak, signifying nothing — except possibly offering a clue that those sanctions are in fact proving more effective than his government is willing to admit.

His meetings in Washington are to wind up today, so we shall see what, if anything, Dmitriev has to add at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, on Air Force One . . .

Trump spoke to reporters while en route to Asia for meetings in Malaysia, Japan, and with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea. He said that, contrary to Dmitriev’s expression of optimism, he would not soon be meeting with Putin without an indication that some positive result was in the offing:

“You have to know that we’re going to make a deal. I’m not going to be wasting my time. I’ve always had a great relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing. I thought this would have gotten done before peace in the Middle East.” [RFE/RL, October 26, 2025 CET.]

With the hoped-for Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest off the table, two U.S. officials told Reuters that an additional series of sanctions had been prepared against Russia’s economy, to be used if Putin again refuses to reach an accord. [Id.]

But Reuters also quoted another, also unidentified senior U.S. official as saying that Trump would prefer the next round of sanctions or tariffs to come from European nations. [Id.]

So once again, the question is: Does anyone really know what’s going on?

And my guess is that the answer is: Not really — considering that the two men wielding the epees in this fencing match are equally mercurial, unpredictable, stubborn, egotistical, and . . .

Well, please feel free to add your own adjectives here. I’m tired now.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/26/25

Andrei Sakharov was a Soviet physicist who spent most of his career working in the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons program, receiving honors that included Hero of Socialist Labor (1953, 1956 and 1962); four Orders of Lenin; the Lenin Prize (1956); the Stalin Prize (1953) . . .

. . . and the Nobel Peace Prize (1975), which he was not allowed by the government to accept in person. (His wife, Yelena Bonner, was permitted to travel in order to receive the award on his behalf.)

After nearly a lifetime of working on the development of thermonuclear weapons, Sakharov became what one might call a conscientious objector. In later life, he was internationally renowned for his political activism on behalf of individual freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and reforms of the Soviet government.

In his own country he was deemed a dissident and persecuted for the remainder of his years. In 1980, he was stripped of all of his earlier awards due to his “anti-Soviet activities.” When Mikhail Gorbachev offered to reinstate them, Sakharov declined.

Sakharov died in December 1989. But he lived long enough to see the European Parliament (EP) establish the Sakharov Prize in his honor in 1988, which is awarded annually to persons or organizations dedicated to human rights and freedoms.

This year’s recipients are two political hostages whose names will now be added to our list:

Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, imprisoned in Belarus since 2021, and sentenced to a term of eight years for his criticism of the dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko; and

Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, serving a two-year sentence in Georgia for “resisting or using violence against a law enforcement officer” during a pro-European protest in 2024. She is reported to be in deteriorating health. [Rikard Jozwiak, RFE/RL, October 22, 2025.]

*. *. *

And so, sadly, our list continues to grow:

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Prisoners of War:

The 19,500 Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

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
Marya Kalesnikava
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In China:

Chenyue Mao (American)

In Russia:

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

Stay strong . . . you are not forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/26/25

As I sit here writing this, I find myself pondering the definition of a simple English word — “peace” — and wondering whether I may have misunderstood it for my entire life. Because today’s news brought with it further disquieting — oh, hell, who am I kidding? It’s downright terrifying — news.

So I did what I always do: I consulted the experts.

And it turns out that my command of my native language is not faulty after all. According to Merriam-Webster, “peace” means:

1) a state of tranquility or quiet;
2) freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions;
3) harmony in personal relations;
4) a state or period of mutual concord between governments; and
5) used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell.

So what was that terrifying news that had me doubting my own mind? It was about the Pentagon — at the instructions of the Oval Office — having ordered the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS GERALD R. FORD, and its strike group of five destroyers to redeploy from their current positions in various parts of the world to the U.S. Southern Command in the Caribbean, allegedly to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States.” [Konstantin Toropin, AP, October 24, 2025.]

In other words, South and Central American drug dealers.

With more than 6,000 sailors and Marines aboard eight warships already in the region, the USS FORD would add nearly 4,500 more troops and nine squadrons of aircraft to the contingent — all, supposedly, to pursue the U.S. war against illegal drugs.

This, of course, comes on the heels of the tenth strike by the Trump administration against single small boats believed to be carrying drugs in the direction of the United States, in which at least 43 people have been killed.

Venezuela’s President Maduro has accused the U.S. of seeking “a new eternal [sic] [external?] war. . . . They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war.” [Kayla Epstein and Josh Cheetham, BBC Verify, October 25, 2025.]

But Trump, ignoring the accusation, offered this boast before leaving for Asia this morning:

“We stopped all drugs from coming in by sea. I will stop all drugs from coming in by land very shortly. You’ll see that starting.” [Id.]

*. *. *

So I ask you: How can an individual who has labeled himself “the Peace President” justify carrying out what should be an internal battle against illegal drugs by preemptively attacking and killing suspected foreign criminals outside U.S. territory? According to Secretary of Defense — or, as he prefers to be called, Secretary of WAR — Pete Hegseth:

“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.” [Id.]

Note the terminology:

“Narco-terrorist.” “Terrorists” are what Vladimir Putin labels any groups or individuals who oppose him . . . right before he has them arrested, imprisoned, or eliminated.

“In our hemisphere.” Not on our territory, or in our coastal waters. But anywhere in “our” half of the world.

“We will . . . hunt you down, and kill you.” Not arrest and prosecute . . . just hunt and kill.

But whom do they think they’re kidding . . . these preachers of “peace” who travel the world, ordering others to stop the fighting and invading and slaughtering?

This isn’t about drugs; we have the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for that. This is the excuse they needed to justify launching an all-out invasion in order to overthrow the existing Venezuelan regime.

Which places them squarely in the same league as this butcher:

Welcome to the new America.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/25/25

Suppose, for a moment, that Kim Jong Un were to begin blasting American boats out of international waters because he suspected they were trying to smuggle narcotics into North Korea.

Or that Xi Jinping decided that Memphis, Tennessee, which currently has the highest rate of violent crime in the United States, should be bombed off the map in order to get rid of its Hamas-style criminal gangs . . . and then declared that China would take over the territory and turn it into a Riviera-style resort.

Or that, say, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decided that his country needed to take possession of the United States for security reasons.

Or that Vladimir Putin sent undercover agents to the U.S. to interfere with our elections and destabilize our government because . . .

Oh, wait . . . that’s not hypothetical; that actually has happened. Never mind.

But you get my point, which is that Trump would never sit back and let another country’s leader attack our citizens or appropriate our territory without staging one hell of a retaliation — just as Ukraine has defended itself for nearly four years against Russia’s invasion of its land.

So what in the name of all that’s holy makes Trump believe that he has the right to commit those very crimes against others?

. . . to blast boats from Venezuela or Colombia out of international waters because they may be smuggling drugs into the U.S.?

. . . to allow Israel to continue demolishing Gaza for two years in retaliation for an attack by the terrorist Hamas group . . . and then to tell the Palestinians that it is no longer their land?

. . . or to tell Canada, or Greenland, or any other country that they should hand over their property to him because he wants it?

Who does he think he is . . . Genghis Khan??!!!!

Well, come to think of it . . .

Maybe that is exactly what he believes.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/25/25

Well, all right — that’s a slight exaggeration. There’s still Mar-a-Lago, an equally gaudy penthouse in New York, and who-knows-what-other residences she may share with that guy she married all those years ago when she was a young emigre in search of U.S. citizenship.

But First Lady of the United States Melania Trump is, officially and quite literally, without office space for herself and her staff of five. The East Wing of the White House — a portion of it first used as a base of operations by Eleanor Roosevelt, and later officially designated as the Office of the First Lady by Rossalyn Carter — has been demolished.

In most marriages, taking away the wife’s private domain — be it an office, a sewing room, or the kitchen — would be grounds for divorce. But a First Lady doesn’t just pack a bag and walk out the front door . . . or, better yet, throw hubby’s clothes out the window and change the locks. And if hubby also happens to be an all-powerful megalomaniac and pathologically vindictive . . . well, you can see her problem.

Thus far, Mrs. Trump has remained silent on this startling new development. Some have said it’s because — as also evidenced by her recent absences from the public eye — she doesn’t really care what her husband does, or how this particular action will affect future U.S. First Ladies. But I’m not so sure about that.

From 1937 to 1954, there was a radio program eponymously called “The Shadow,” about a crime-fighting vigilante whose identity was never revealed. The opening line of each program — initiated by the great Orson Welles — was this:

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”

. . . followed by a rather ominous, deep-throated laugh.

In the present-day White House, Melania Trump would be the most likely person to know the answer to that question . . . and many others. And maybe it’s not that she doesn’t care. Maybe she’s just smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

Or both.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/24/25