He can’t seem to end a war he never should have started, or fix the economy as promised, or “drain the swamp” in Washington. But when Donald Trump really, really wants something done — like tearing down a wing of the White House to build a gaudy ballroom, or adding his name to buildings he doesn’t own, or deporting people who don’t fit his idea of “real” Americans — there’s no stopping him.

Last week, he said he would “pretty soon [be] declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.” [Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, August 18, 2026.]

Well, he must already have been on the phone to his Art Department, or whoever is in charge of cranking out this crap. Because yesterday he exhibited this little masterpiece, minus his customary snarky commentary, on social media:

What a great move! Why didn’t anyone ever think of this before? All a world leader has to do to expand his territory is slap his country’s name on some choice part of the world map, declare it to be theirs, and . . .

Oh, wait . . . it actually has been done before. I’m remembering the Roman Empire, the First Persian Empire, the Mongol Empire, the British Empire, the Russian Empire . . .

And where are they now? Dead and gone, consigned to the dustbin of history where they belong.

I wonder if there’s a lesson to be learned here.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/19/26

For months now, the world has been puzzling over the meaning of some of Donald Trump’s late-night, AI-generated, social media ramblings. And recently they’ve become increasingly bizarre, many of them depicting himself as various historical, pop culture, or heroic figures: Elvis, Jesus, and Superman, to name just a few.

But the most puzzling to me were the recent ones of himself interacting with George Washington, like a couple of soulmates uniting through the wonders of time travel to co-create a brave new world.

Now, I don’t claim to understand how Trump’s mind works — nor would I want to! But I may have hit upon a possible reason for the spate of George Washington hallucinations: he simply Googled the wrong George. Maybe he wasn’t trying to channel the first President of the United States at all; it’s conceivable that the one he wanted — the ruling George with whom he feels a close kinship — is actually Britain’s King George III . . . popularly referred to, for good reason, as “Mad King George.”

George III was the longest-reigning British monarch of his time, and to this day remains the longest-reigning male monarch in British history, having inherited the throne upon his father’s death in 1760. With his wife, Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he had 15 children, and saw his country through numerous military conflicts throughout Europe and elsewhere — including the loss of the North American colonies following the American War of Independence (1765 – 1783), and the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo (1815).

It wasn’t until later in life that he began exhibiting signs of mental illness. At first intermittent, the condition eventually became permanent, and he suffered a final relapse in 1810, after which his eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, was named Prince Regent and later became King George IV.

While the exact nature of George III’s mental illness has never been determined, medical experts and historians have suggested that his symptoms were consistent with either bipolar disorder or a condition of the nervous system known as porphyria, which can cause both mental and physical symptoms.

*. *. *

Like George III, Donald Trump led a long and active life before exhibiting acute signs of both physical and mental anomalies. Both were large men, militaristic, believed in large families, and were partly of German ancestry. And both would, if they could, have remained rulers forever.

Is it too much of a stretch, then, to think that perhaps George III is the George that Trump has actually been trying to contact in his nocturnal fantasy world? Or even . . . if you believe in reincarnation . . .

Well, perhaps that’s taking it a bit too far, even for Donald Trump.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/19/26

August 18, 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev had been the leader of the Soviet Union — first as General Secretary of the Communist Party (CPSU) and then as head of state — for eight years. During that time, he had led his country from a strict Marxist-Leninist regime toward a more democratic socialism, introducing the twin programs of perestroika (reconstruction) and glasnost (openness), and advancing political and trade relations with the West.

But the country’s hardline communist factions remained in strong opposition to Gorbachev’s reforms, and on August 18th, his political, military, and security (KGB) opponents staged a coup, placing him under house arrest at his vacation villa in Crimea. They then attempted to take over the Parliament in Moscow by force, but were unexpectedly blocked by Russian reformer and Gorbachev ally Boris Yeltsin and his followers, including a small cadre of progressive military and police officers.

Thousands of Russian citizens took to the streets, and the coup collapsed after three days. Gorbachev was released and flown back to Moscow, where, over the next several months, he dissolved the Communist Party, granted independence to the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and proposed the establishment of a looser confederation among the remaining 12 Soviet republics.

But Gorbachev’s authority had been irreparably damaged, and on Christmas day — December 25, 1991 — he resigned and turned over the reins of power to Boris Yeltsin, who continued to implement reforms for the next eight years until edged into retirement on December 31, 1999, by none other than his protege and Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.

Those years of perestroika and glasnost were a mixture of hope and chaos for the Russian people. On the one hand, new freedoms were introduced and previously unheard-of opportunities presented themselves.

But on the other hand, centuries of a controlled regime and command economy were demolished without a new system having been created to take its place. Government-owned properties and industries were suddenly up for grabs; and the only people in a position to grab them were those already in power under the old regime. A new “mafia” class was created, oligarchs sprang out of nowhere, and mob-style crime became rampant. Russia became known as the “Wild East.”

*. *. *

Mikhail Gorbachev was a man with a vision for his country: a vision that would bring peace and prosperity to the people. He just got the timing wrong.

And the rest, as they say . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/26

Some days are better than others . . . that’s just a fact of life.

The last couple of days haven’t been among my better ones. It’s nothing specific; just kind of weary, out of sorts, a bit achy from the heat and the low barometric pressure . . . as though there isn’t quite enough of me left to make it through the day.

And I happened to find the perfect description of what I’ve been experiencing in a quote from one of the all-time great fantasy characters, old Bilbo Baggins himself:

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings #1: The Fellowship of the Ring”

That’s me today, summed up in one brief sentence. But with luck, a little Haagen-Dazs, and a good night’s sleep, tomorrow will be better.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/26

Every now and then, it all gets to be too much.

On the one hand, there is so much going on in the world, it seems impossible to cover everything. But on the flip side, it sometimes begins to feel repetitious, and I fear that my writing has become . . . Heaven forbid! . . . tiresome.

So today I decided to do a quick review of the headlines to make sure I haven’t missed anything new and important, and then to offer just a brief recap of the top ten highlights (or, more accurately, the lowlights) to save you the trouble. And away we go . . .

First: Sadly, that little Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine continues through its fifth year. Vladimir Putin still stubbornly refuses to negotiate any sort of ceasefire; but with Ukraine’s counter-offensive growing more damaging by the day, how much longer will he be able to hold out?

Second: Tragically, Benjamin Netanyahu’s mad assault on Gaza’s civilian population hasn’t abated either. It’s obvious that he never learned the meaning of a “proportional response.”

Third: Another day, another war: Iran. Donald Trump started this one, ostensibly to denuclearize a country that had already been denuclearized by Barack Obama three presidential terms ago. But was it entirely Trump’s idea, or did his friend “Bibi” Netanyahu give him a not-so-gentle nudge in that direction?

Fourth: All of the world’s leading autocrats seem to be holding onto their jobs: Putin, Xi, Kim, Lukashenko, bin Salman, et al.

Fifth: The U.K. has another new Prime Minister, following Keir Starmer’s resignation. His name is Andy Burnham, and he hasn’t been at No. 10 Downing Street long enough to have made an impression as yet. Good luck to him.

Sixth: Mitch McConnell’s status remains a mystery. Though supposedly continuing rehab at home, he still hasn’t been seen or heard from, even by the governor of his own state. Is anyone taking bets on how, and when, this is going to end?

Seventh: The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a couple of rulings against Trump. I don’t want to build up anyone’s hopes unnecessarily — including my own — but could this be a good sign?

Eighth: There’s another attractive young blonde woman in Donald Trump’s life: 35-year-old former TV presenter Natalie Harp, whose job seems to entail following her boss everywhere while carrying around a portable printer to supply him with flattering articles and social media posts, leave little love notes in various nooks and crannies throughout the White House, and generally stroke his ego whenever he’s feeling unloved. She is either the most stupid bimbo in the civilized world . . . or the smartest. One thing is for sure: she has to have a strong stomach to be able to digest that much bullsh*t.

Ninth: “Melania: The Docuseries” is said to be in production, again financed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who obviously has nothing better to do with his billions than buy even more favor with POTUS and FLOTUS. Yecchhh!

And finally . . .

Tenth: This week’s prize for the most unusual weather event goes to Hawaii, where Mother Nature last week brought tropical storm Lala to dump feet of rain . . . along with snow atop volcano Mauna Kea. All at the same time. Wow!

I was going to go for an even dozen, possibly adding a mention of the prices of gas and groceries, and maybe a comment on that mysterious bulge under the rear flap of Trump’s jacket. But again, it’s just more of the same old same old.

So enough for now. I’m sure something interesting will happen before tomorrow’s column.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/26

. . . it’s a real picture, not AI fantasy. And it’s harmless, though somewhat pathetic, macho exhibitionism — not terrifying, delusional mental decline.

When Donald Trump goes off on one of his daily social media rampages, he can’t very well offer us genuine photographs of bare-chested athleticism. Instead, he fantasizes about himself in AI-created heroic situations: as a hairy-chested Elvis, as Jesus healing the sick and injured, and now . . .

. . . as a compatriot of George Washington, showing off a ballroom that the first President of the United States would, in fact, never have envisioned for his country — a nation that was formed expressly to escape the excesses and inequities of monarchy.

In all fairness, it’s easy to understand how a man in Trump’s position might seek distractions from the pressures of a failing war, a sinking economy, a rock-bottom approval rating, and an untold number of health problems. Golf, for example.

But when he repeatedly retreats into a fantasy world, and shares those fantasies with the entire planet . . . well, think about what you would do if this were a member of your family. If he refused to seek help voluntarily, you’d probably stage an intervention, wouldn’t you?

And now ask yourself why no one has stepped up to help this poor, sick, doddering, deranged old man. Because that is what he has become, and it can no longer be shrugged off as Uncle Donald’s harmless eccentricity — not while he still has control of the nuclear codes.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/17/26

In fact, the fighting in Korea ended with a ceasefire on July 27, 1953; the final, tear-jerking episode of M*A*S*H didn’t air until some 30 years later, on February 28, 1983. But you should ignore both of those dates, because technically the two countries — North and South Korea — are still at war. An armistice was agreed to, but no formal peace treaty was ever signed. Instead, a 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone, known as the DMZ, was established and remains in place today; and the agreement to call a truce has held for 73 years . . . though sometimes tenuously.

Since that time, the United States has continued to support South Korea against possible aggression from its hard-line authoritarian neighbor to the north, maintaining a substantial military presence there, and conducting regular joint military exercises.

Until now, that is, when Donald Trump has begun calling into question U.S. commitment to its long-time ally. In May, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hinted at a lessening of support during a meeting at the Pentagon, when he praised South Korea for its “commitment to increase defense spending [and its] leadership in assuming primary responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula. It demonstrates alliance burden-sharing that all of America’s partners would do well to follow.” [Konstantin Toropin and Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press, August 16, 2026.] [Bold emphasis is mine.]

In other words, you had all better be able to take care of yourselves, because you can no longer depend on help from America.

This is in complete alignment with Trump’s record of turning against our proven allies throughout the world, and his obsession with “strong men” like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and now even North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. So it’s hardly surprising that yesterday he ordered the Pentagon to scale back this week’s scheduled joint military exercises, citing South Korea’s refusal to support his war against Iran, and mentioning his “good relationship” with Kim Jong Un.

What Trump posted on social media is so unimaginable, I had to fact-check it before quoting it here:

“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country [North Korea] that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful. Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises! While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’ Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Right . . . we mustn’t be hostile to one of the world’s most tyrannical leaders. Let’s put the screws to our friends instead.

Is this the prelude to yet another war on the Korean Peninsula? Is it the opportunity Kim Jong Un has been waiting for so he can stop merely rattling his sabers and go directly to a full-blown invasion? And in such an event, what would China and Russia do?

Obviously, it’s too soon to tell how this will play out. But what is clear is that, once again, a rash decision affecting the security of multiple nations has been made on the basis of nothing more than a childish temper tantrum. South Korea has legitimately refused to embroil itself in Trump’s debacle in Iran; and we all know what happens when someone dares to say “no” to a bully.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/17/26

We’ve all heard of the “seven deadly sins” according to Christian doctrine: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.

But how many have heard of the Seven Social Sins?

I hadn’t either, until I read about a British Anglican priest named Frederick Lewis Donaldson, who rose through the Church’s hierarchy to become Archdeacon of Westminster.

On April 1, 1925 — and this was not an April fool’s joke — in an address at Westminster Abbey, he spoke of what he considered to be the “seven social evils”:

> Politics without principle.
> Wealth without work.
> Pleasure without conscience.
> Knowledge without character.
> Commerce and industry without morality.
> Science without humanity.
> Worship without sacrifice.

I doubt that Archdeacon Donaldson had the slightest inkling that he had just described every single member of an American presidential administration 100 years in the future . . . and if he had, he would most certainly have been horrified at the prospect.

But it’s eerily prescient, and more than a little disturbing . . . isn’t it?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/26

Oleh Kotov, a Ukrainian civilian from Kharkiv Oblast, was not on my list of Putin’s hostages; I had not heard of him until it was too late.

Today I have added him to the list, only to delete his name after learning of his death.

A retired police officer, Kotov was taken into custody by Russian military forces on April 23, 2022, just two months after the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine. When Russian security forces discovered that his son was an active police officer in Ukraine, they began torturing him by means of beatings, electric shock, mock executions, psychological pressure, and complete isolation from his family.

He was moved to several different locations in Russia over the ensuing four years, until he was finally released as part of a prisoner exchange. During his incarceration, he had become ill and was told he had “persistent pneumonia,” though he was not given any medical care.

When Kotov finally returned home to Ukraine on June 5, 2026, he was diagnosed with cancer, and died in a hospital in Kyiv in late July — just seven days after his last interview. [Censor.net, August 7, 2026.]

*. *. *

On August 11th, I reported on the release of American hostage Robert Gilman, who was also sent home in what was described as near-death physical condition.

I don’t know how many more of these cases have already occurred; but it is clear that the treatment of prisoners of war and political prisoners under the Putin regime are being treated horrifically, and in clear violation of international law.

As Oleh Kotov himself said in one of his last interviews after returning to Ukraine:

“This evil must be defeated.” [Id.]

That is obviously a monumental understatement.

*. *. *

This being Sunday, here again is the list of those political prisoners known to me:

Prisoners of War:

The 20,000+ Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

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

Endangered Exiles:

Pavel “Pasha” Talankin
Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Oleg Orlov
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Afghanistan:

Mahmoud Habibi (Afghan-American)
Paul Overby (American, missing since 2018)

In Azerbaijan:

The “Azerbaijan 7”:
– Farid Mehralizada
– Ulvi Hasanli
– Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqiai)
– Mahammad Kekalov
– Hafiz Babali
– Nargiz Absalamova
– Elnara Gasimova

In Belarus:

Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In Russia:

The “Crimea 8”:
– Oleg Antipov
– Artyom Azatyan
– Georgy Azatyan
– Aleksandr Bylin
– Roman Solomko
– Artur Terchanyan
– Dmitry Tyazhelykh
– Vladimir Zloba

James Scott Rhys Anderson (British)
Aleksandr Andreyev
David Barnes (American)
Yevgenia Berkovich
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
Yury Dmitriyev
Anastasia Dyudyaeva
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman (American)
Stephen James Hubbard (American)
Sergey Karelin
Timur Kishukov
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Oleh Kotov
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake (American)
Aleksei Liptser
Mikhail Loshchinin
Grigory Melkonyants
Boris Nadezhdin
Nika NovakSvetlana Petriichuk
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
Ilya Remeslo
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Lev Schlossberg
Sofiane Sehili (French)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector (American)
Joseph Tater (American, disappeared)Karina Tsurkan
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

You have not been, and will not be, forgotten. Stay strong.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/26

Richard Nixon was hardly the perfect president. But he had a grasp of international relations that is sorely missing today, and his statement on the Cold War is eerily prescient of our world in 2026:

“The Cold War isn’t thawing; it is burning with a deadly heat. Communism isn’t sleeping; it is, as always, plotting, scheming, working, fighting.”

Each day, Vladimir Putin’s Russia more closely resembles the Soviet Union of Nixon’s time. And while the Russian government no longer calls itself a communist regime, the distinction is barely perceptible.

Today’s European leaders are fully aware of the continuing danger. But what about the man sitting in Nixon’s seat today?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/15/26