The Empire State Building, NYC, lit in the colors of the Ukrainian flag:
- Infidel753 frequently demonstrates an astute understanding of events. This week is especially useful. We have the unfolding of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Green Eagle reads an op-ed trying to answer why Putin’s invasion matters to America. Green Eagle can name that tune after one note.
- Nojo does not want us to forget that American conservatives led to the rise of Putin.
- CalicoJack in The Psy of Life speculates, reasonably, that a four year long presidential attack on NATO may have emboldened Putin enough itself to cause the invasion.
- The Palmer Report explains how one primary sycophant spent four years joining with Puton to weaken NATO. Now that Putin seeks to exploit that weakness, he finds NATO is more unified than he may have anticipated.
- Ted McLaughlin at jobsanger goes to the polls and finds that most Americans find the invasion of Ukraine to be critical to US interests.
- Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit notices official Russian Putin-folk offering threats to Finland and Sweden. Too bad for you if you even think about joining NATO. They’re considering it anyway.
- Sarah Cooper points out that Putin is also fighting on a cyber battlefield:
Putin is waging this war on social media too, and these companies are not prepared. Beware of bots posting gaslighting memes and messages like “this is bad, but so is this”
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) February 24, 2022
- tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors sees flags at half mast for Ukrainian heroes of Snake Island. Amazing courage.
We also see a simple map that explains the entire issue involved with the Putin invasion.
- In Letters from an American, historian Heather Cox Richardson watches Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky speak directly to the Russian people in Russian. A leader showing us how bravery can inspire.
- Hackwhackers has a series of spot-on illustrations of the Putin invasion and our own fifth column.
- North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz wonders if any public figures in America could support Putin during the invasion, decides nobody could lose their soul to that extent, then discovers he was wrong.
- Remember 2016 candidate Trump’s false witness about seeing Arabs in New Jersey celebrate the 9/11 attack in 2001? There were people over in New Jersey that were watching it, a heavy Arab population, that were cheering as the buildings came down. Scotties Playtime covers Mr. Trump’s gleeful celebration of Vladimir Putin’s aggression toward Ukraine.
- At The Moderate Voice, retired Air Force officer Dorian de Wind points to loving public comments about Vlad Putin that Mr. Trump will not soon live down.
- News Corpse seems incredulous as Mr. Trump phones it in. Had he, Trump, still been in office, Putin would never have invaded Ukraine. Seems they liked each other too much, and besides, he was stronger than President Biden.
- Tucker Carlson wonders what Americans hate about Putin. Julian Sanchez provides one answer:
He undermined the integrity of an American election, which you periodically pretend to care about. https://t.co/nyIwcBueiC
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) February 24, 2022
- I do recall enough of history during my life to recognize Tucker’s reference:
An oblique reference to boxing hero Muhammad Ali, who famously refused the draft during the Vietnam war. No Vietnamese had ever called him the 'N' word.
A few differences:
– Ali didn't cheerlead the Vietcong
– Nobody demands Tucker pick up a gun
– Tucker isn't being prosecuted— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
- Dave Dubya has names and quotes, showing that joyful praise for Mr. Putin’s aggression goes beyond Misters Trump and Carlson.
- Former Secretary of State under Trump, Mike Pompeo, speaks glowingly enough about Putin to get played prominently on Putin controlled Russian TV. Tommy Christopher reports on a reporter who confronts Pompeo about his support for Putin. CPAC security agents get physical with the reporter. Video evidence included. HEY! HEY! Hands Off!
- Frances Langum carries an account of the bizarre actions of our own Senator from here in Missouri. As Putin’s invasion roils the world, an expert on Russia is rushed to the Senate for a quick confirmation. The idea is to make America, and the world, a bit safer. Josh Hawley delays the process by forcing a floor vote, and turns out to be the only vote against. Why? Who knows, except Hawley answers to his own inner Josh.
- driftglass goes podcast, noting that Republicans can’t seem to stop politicizing even a Putin invasion, and expressing thanks that Biden is President.
- Not all Republicans favor Mr. Putin’s invasion, of course. Andy Borowitz reports that many, in fact, support democracy in the Ukraine as long as it doesn’t spread to the US.
- The Strategic Studies Book Club reviews Wars of Empire a scholarly study into European colonialism by historian Douglas Porch. For the most part, military expansionism has not benefited aggressive nations except in feel-good prestige, but did benefit economic elites. Russian aggression has been different.
- Nan’s Notebook reads and watches as one of the NY investigations into Donald Trump loses a couple of prosecutors. The abrupt resignations reportedly follow doubts expressed in private by a new District Attorney. Nan’s suspicious mind has doubts about those doubts.
- At The Onion, President Biden names his nominee for the US Supreme Court. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson weighs making history by joining the Court against the soul-crushing thought of spending time with these people.
- Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara explains that using Canadian police to end long, long term obstruction of major arterial travel roads is identical to the use of force by Mr Trump to clear protesters from a park so he could be filmed marching to a church where he could pose with a Bible.
- Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged relates the strange story of the protester unjustly trampled to death by the Canadian Mounted Police. The protestor then shows up undead, unharmed, untrampled, and a FOX personality admits to making it all up.
She is right, of course:Sadly, you have been misled. A Fox reporter now says she made the whole thing up.https://t.co/m8SMG7u0lc
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 21, 2022
- M. Bouffant at Web of Evil reads a prominent publication intensely concerned about children affected by Covid protocols, notices that same publication is unconcerned about 3.7 million children going back into poverty, and suspects hypocrisy. As in: maybe the concern for kids is not all that real.
- Reductress has a few questions that can tell us whether the pandemic is over or if we are pretending for the fourth time.
- PZ Myers sees a glimmer of hope in the conviction of officers who assisted in the murder of George Floyd.
- Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson goes all Shakespearean to explain Lindsey Graham:
"O that he were here to write me
down an ass! But, masters, remember that I am an
ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not
that I am an ass." – Much Ado About Nothing, IV,2 https://t.co/AAx4Hrm00n— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) February 24, 2022
- In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, Bruce takes on one Christian interpretation that all types of sin are equal in the sight of God, and applies it to homophobia, bigotry, and candy bar theft.
- The Journal of Improbable Research discovers a study addressing a perennial question that keeps most of us awake on occasional nights. When a human male handles a deadly weapon does it increase the temptation to play a terrible dirty trick.
- YellerDawg Granny explains short weekends.
- SilverAppleQueen sees a face and writes poetically about love and happiness.
- @whiskeywhistle98 reacts to a latest garage project:
@whiskeywhistle98 #stitch with @karlawing8 I..Ahhh…..Hmmm…#machines #thoughts #tiktokmom #MakeItGucci #SephoraLipLooks #trend #husband ♬ original sound – @Whiskeywhistle98- - John Scalzi at Whatever goes for his mail and is mystified by the shadowy world of shadows.
Tweets I thought worthy:
they found him on facebook 👇 https://t.co/tN0kjiHOMG
— R C👀k ◇ #Resist 🇺🇸 #FBR #ComplicitCorruptGOP (@rscook) February 20, 2022
Guys, I found a quarter machine that dispenses nightmares. pic.twitter.com/lF01vQTYOt
— Steve Saidby, Sarcastic Fortune Cookie Enthusiast (@sedbysteve) February 21, 2022
Talk about folk horror. pic.twitter.com/y0Zs86DrBO
— Godyssey (@GodysseyPodcast) February 19, 2022
His parents told him not to get vaccinated. So he learned about a Philadelphia rule that allowed him to get the shots without permission. His family found out when they got covid and he didn’t. @MorningEdition @NPR https://t.co/7TnDacv6G0
— Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) February 16, 2022
MAGA Anti-Masker Ethan Schmidt attacks old people & cancer patients: “I just love harassing people, especially cancer patients b/c they’re weak, vulnerable & easy targets.”
Despite this GOP Kari Lake, Wendy Rogers & Paul Gosar support him.
MAGA sure are fine people!#DemVoice1 pic.twitter.com/YMgfedO7jw
— The Jewish Ginger Resister (@JewishResister) February 22, 2022
a good moment to remind you all that @RonJohnsonWI spent July 4th in Russia
— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) February 22, 2022
And if you find reading plain text irksome, the government of Canada actually made an *infographic* explaining the Emergency Act https://t.co/6YszfRiRWG
— David Frum (@davidfrum) February 20, 2022
Whoa–am I the only one noticing that the GOP and Fox News are using the exact same language about Ukraine as Putin?
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) February 24, 2022
I’d like to remind everyone that Trump tried to withhold military aid from Ukraine
— Travis Allen (@TravisAllen02) February 24, 2022
Putin is just asking nicely with 190,000 troops surrounding your house. @StephenAtHome @colbertlateshow pic.twitter.com/LZD1TxC6gv
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 23, 2022
Remember: US intel officials had it right on Dec 3rd. To much eye-rolling, they warned @washingtonpost that Russia would gather 100 BTGs & 1750,000 personnel. They were right (in fact numbers are higher). They also predicted a "a multi-front offensive". https://t.co/LcpROkxBZa
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) February 23, 2022
If classified docs were recovered at Mar-A-Lago why hasn't a search warrant been issued to do a thorough check?
— Anne G Weaver🌊This is not a drill (@paated) February 24, 2022
So GOP senators are praising Putin and TRump while calling Canadas Prime Minister a dictator for shutting down the truckers at the border crossing, this isn't just a "wtf moment", this is a "we're f@#$ed" moment. If you fear the worst is yet to come you wouldn't be wrong.
— WILLIAM L…………. (@WILLIAM77919661) February 24, 2022
A sad day for the 44 Million people of #Ukraine, and for the entire world.#PutinsWW3 has begun💣😠⁉️
Only the #Republican Party applaud the #russianinvasion as #TraitorsToDemocracy, embracing the Enemy and letting their own country down🔥.#DemVoice1 #BlueVoices @DemsAbroad https://t.co/J4sV6FV9BL
— Lawrence Wahlund 🌊 (@CALAWAopinions) February 24, 2022
For those asking Where's Biden…
He's the president & you aren't supposed to see national security meetings.
Nuclear war isn't broadcasted on tv or social media unless you're a stupid reality tv star like Trump who broadcasts death for ratings.
THIS ISN'T A GAME!#DemVoice1
— The Jewish Ginger Resister (@JewishResister) February 24, 2022
I refuse to be a Christian who lives in fear of people who look or speak or worship differently than I do.
I refuse to be a Christian who believes that God blesses America more than God so loves the world.https://t.co/1TNQzwxhKC
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) February 24, 2022
Richmond, CA Who is she? pic.twitter.com/gM7xuxQcTf
— TizzyEnt (@TizzyEnt) February 23, 2022
Parents in Ukraine are sewing tags with their children’s blood type in their clothes before sending them off to school. Let that sink in. If you want to know what loss of freedom really looks like, maybe you should start there. God help us all; I can’t even imagine.
— 🇨🇦Angela MacRae🇨🇦Fully Vaxxed (@MacRaeLady) February 24, 2022
The full transcript is incredible. https://t.co/9zInraoJnI pic.twitter.com/ra9ZkjRExl
— Chris Taylor (@FutureBoy) February 25, 2022
From NYT: “Fox News stars like Tucker Carlson questioned why Americans hated Vladimir Putin, and CNN showed Russian tanks and rockets in live war-zone dispatches.” (So who’s the fake news now???)
— Terri Thelin (@mrsthelin) February 25, 2022
Can’t stop thinking about line in Putin speech re those responsible for Odessa deaths (& presumably many other Ru enemies):
“We know their names, we will do everything to punish them, find them & bring them to justice.”
Russian word карать doesn’t suggest punishment in court.
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 24, 2022
I don't dare type these words on Twitter lest I be banned again.
Or is it okay if it is about Putin and not a sexual harasser and rape inciter? https://t.co/LTDIvPXGKI— Missing Link (@Serendipitygrae) February 25, 2022
Twitter is a great place because you can get medical advice about covid and foreign policy advice about about Russia all from some guy named Bob378904321.
— Dave Matt (@davematt88) February 25, 2022
And I’m allowed a few of my own:
Current legitimate debate is on whether your statement is misinformation or disinformation.
By definition, that depends on whether you knew, at the time you posted it, that it is a falsehood.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 20, 2022
Are they completely digested?
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 20, 2022
There is, hidden in plain sight, a glimmer of hope. Occasionally, people can change. At least one of those shown screaming in hate later repented.https://t.co/t4cgKkmCt7
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 21, 2022
Editorial:
Apparently, the party that believes kneeling during the anthem desecrates the flag also thinks that using the flag to bludgeon a cop is “legitimate political discourse.”https://t.co/r0ntPQWEfg
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 21, 2022
⚠️Here’s the evidence from the FDA report on 17th November 2021 confirming that more people died in the Pfizer Clinical Trial Vaccine Control Group compared to the Placebo Group. No wonder Pfizer withdrew from India after they requested an independent clinical trial. pic.twitter.com/Yc9Q9KOccn
— Dr David Cartland (@CartlandDavid) February 20, 2022
OH!
And you forgot to link to the entire filing.
I'm sure it was an oversight.Here, I'll help you out:https://t.co/jpQpaW73AY
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 21, 2022
The cop could have simply told him what the stop was over but he didn't, he wanted to escalate the situation, he got what he wanted.
Follow up next post. pic.twitter.com/ZzG6nF7KW8— 🥀_Imposter_🕸️ (@Imposter_Edits) February 19, 2022
The officer is required to follow the law, and should explain the law to you. As a practical matter, he does not have to obtain your agreement that he is correct on the law before seeing your license.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 22, 2022
2/22/22.
My husband's grandmother died this morning.
He is broken.
She raised him. She was his mother.
We weren't able to afford to go back before she passed, and now the guilt is killing him.
I've been dreading seeing him hurt like this.
— 🇺🇦🇺🇸🏳️🌈Meidas_T'Sharra🏳️🌈🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@TSharraRahl) February 22, 2022
I don't know you.
I don't know your husband.And yet I am deeply grateful you are with him right now.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 22, 2022
This is not justice.
We are limited by ethic and law.
Justice would be much more harsh.Not justice, but as close as we are allowed.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 22, 2022
Those of us who have never experienced the nightmare can and should sympathize and congratulate.
What we cannot do is completely understand what a triumph that is, or how very important 3 years and 1 day has become for you.
You are a hero.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
She me the watch she was thinking of buying me for our anniversary.
I said, jokingly,
That looks great. Do they make one for men?Which is why I'm wearing it now and will for the rest of my life.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Damn, I'm old.
Sorry.At first read, I reversed the two words just before "Republican."
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Depends on what can be proven in court, but offhand, unofficially, I would say yes.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Whew, that's a relief.
I hate it when I encounter a good judge of character.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Tucker's studio audience. https://t.co/4wzeh64UT3
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
And Rube Goldberg was brought in to help with anti-vax conspiracies.https://t.co/DtD2MtHIGw
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Do you trust Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas?
— cjmmn (@ChuckCjmmn) February 23, 2022
Okay.
My loved one tells me that was snide and inappropriate.
He is a Supreme Court Justice and must be treated with respect.I apologize.
I said I would trust him not to steal a hot wood burning stove.
That isn't true.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Sure.
As well as concern for their health, their families, friends, co-workers, fellow worshipers, casual contacts in checkout lines.
I wish them well in finding workplaces where they are less likely to harm others.
COVID is an exceptionally brutal way to die.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 23, 2022
Does listening to an audiobook count as reading a book?
— Richard EveryWriter (@realeverywriter) February 23, 2022
Mr Trump is reported to have consumed a lot of content without reading it.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 24, 2022
Someone unfollowed me today. Please respect my privacy during this difficult time.
— Viking Tower (@Viking_Tower) February 23, 2022
I did.
But I'm considered elderly by some.
And I haven't checked with my loved one.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 24, 2022
I do. People are just kind to someone they see as elderly.
Never had an opportunity for a Dorothy Parker type exchange.
Young actress held door for Dorothy and got snide.
"Age before beauty."Parker smiled, walked through while answering:
"Pearls before swine."— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 24, 2022
No, actually.
I would not.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 24, 2022
HA!
I yell at youngsters your age to get off my lawn!.
.
Okay, so most are startled passersby on the sidewalk, but still…
damn kids
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 24, 2022
Good question:
They could have simply sent a private note to the Russian embassy.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 25, 2022
You should not apologize for being skeptical.
You should apologize for being factually and morally wrong.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 25, 2022
I knew you were going to ask that…
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 26, 2022
– Podcasts –
Regarding Finland, two things…there was an epic tweet by one yesterday abou how there aere tens of thousands of Russian troops right over the border of Finland…6 feet deep.
Also, THIS is how you deal with misinformation: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/28/fact-from-fiction-finlands-new-lessons-in-combating-fake-news
I imagine the hooferaw over COVID restrictions and CRT would appear to be polite, mild debate over a very slight difference of opinion were we to try implementing this in the US.
The talibangelicals and the GQP would rightly see this as an absolutely existential threat to their existence.
😀 Thanks for this!
We can only hope Putin loses his war quickly and the Russian people bring him down.
While the slow wheels of American justice turn on Trump, the fall of Putin the Genius will only add weight to the fall of the Stable Genius.
These two rancid stains on humanity must meet justice, and fall into disgrace together.
Putin’s war will mark the turning point for both of them, into the final steep decline for these two monsters.
This is the focus of my optimism in these dark days.