Will vs Fear

Putin's attempts to crush Ukraine is not going well.  Thank God.  The entire western world is turning against this sick autocrat.  

 

It was looking for the last decade or so that autocratic, authoritarian cruel and fearsome dictators were taking over the world.  Putin was one of the leaders of that group.  Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Hungary, Turkey, Venezuella, Philippines, etc. etc.  "Strong men" ruling by fear.  And the United States with a wannabe "strong man", the overgrown schoolyard bully, the Former Guy, enthralled by the strutting spectacles of manly, manly men around the globe.  

 

Never forget that the Former Guy was thrilled by the Putin declaration of sending in "peace keeping forces".  Oh boy! Tanks!  How exciting. What a genius!

 

This seems to some to be their distorted essence of manliness - to scare people, threaten people, bully people, kill people.  Manly, manly men.  Guns, explosions, big bangy things.

 

But, a couple of real, adult men have responded to show us the contrast.  Zalensky is defending himself and is inspiring the entire free world to cripple Putin's Russia.  Biden is quietly leading NATO and the Free World in very intelligent and targeted sanctions and boycotts to cripple the tyrant's country.

 

There should be no confusion about what makes a man.  Threats do not make a man.  Causing fear do not make a man.  Puffing yourself up and strutting around like latter day John Waynes and Clint Eastwoods do not make a man.

 

Will is one of the things that make a man. Zalensky and Biden are demonstrating will.  Not will to dominate and crush another; not Hitlerian Putinesque brutality of will, but a noble will to protect freedom, truth, and goodness.  The will of a soldier to respond to a demand to surrender or die by saying "Go fuck yourself".

 

By the way, if you think that Biden isn't leading this resistance, please remember the last president that crushed Moscow - Ronald Reagan, who once said it is amazing what you an accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.  The free world is freely crushing Russia financially and culturally.  They all get the credit.

 

But it starts with Zalensky - who refused and refuses to be bullied.  And it is also Biden, who is not operating as America Alone, or "America First".  He is doing what the free world did in WWII, what America and NATO and the Free World did in the Cold War.  He is reaching out to create cooperative, coordinated, intelligent responses to stop the slaughter of a weaker nation by a tyrant.

 

My biggest prayer at this point is that a humiliated and sick Putin does not start sending nukes all over the place to prove that he is really a manly, manly man after all. 

"I need ammunition, not a ride" - Zelensky

 Looks like Ukraine is going to give Putin as much trouble as they possibly can.  

 

"President Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned down an American offer early Saturday to be evacuated from the capital city, Kyiv, which is under attack by Russia."

 

“I am here. We are not putting down arms. We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this,” he said, according to a translation by CNN.

“That is it. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine,” he added."

 

Earlier he had said "This may be the last time you see me alive"

 

Russia has overwhelming force, of course.  But do the young Russian soldiers share the 70 year old Putin's obsession to forcibly re-establish the Soviet empire's borders?  Why would they care?  Why would they want to kill Ukrainians?  

 

Let this be Putin's fatal mistake.  I hope and pray that Ukrainian Spirit thwarts the autocrat's greed.  I hope and pray that Russian youth depose the tyrant.  I hope and pray that the opposition leader, Navalny, is freed and purges the massive corruption and tyranny of Putin and the Russian olilgarchy.

 

Probably just a wild fantasy, but ...

 

 

The Psychopath threatens nuclear war

 Putin has invaded Ukraine.  It is a massive invasion.  And he threatens nuclear war if NATO or the United States interfere with his hideous intentions.

 

Please remember that this is the man that Trump admires and obeys.  And this is the man that FOX News Tucker Carlson defends.  

 

It seems clear to me that Putin intends to recapture the Balkan countries same as he wants to recapture Ukraine now.  He clearly wants to re-establish the borders of the defunct Soviet Union.  He has stated this many times.

Now is a good time to remember the terrible lesson of WWII - do not appease a psychopathic autocrat, it only encourages him to attack.

 

My hope is that Putin has made a self destroying mistake by strengthening the NATO-U.S. bond.  And wars never go the way the initiator expects, and Russia may find more difficulties in Ukraine than the psychopath expects, and the Russian people may turn on Putin and end his reign.

 

Or so I hope. 

Things are not good right now.

The rats are deserting the ship?

 Trump's accounting firm has said that Trump's finances are fraudulent and they are not about to go to prison to help keep this lifelong criminal from prison.  

 

"...based upon the totality of the circumstances, we believe our advice to you to no longer rely upon those financial statements is appropriate."... " Mazars said it would no longer act as Trump's accountant, citing a "non-waivable conflict of interest."

 

The noose is tightening, and the Former Guy is sliding into cancelled show territory.  It happened on his TV show and now it is happening on his Presidential Reality multi-media show.  Yawn.... 

 

Tune in to the extravaganza prosecutions of the flailing has been famous former guy!

Putin is stunned

 I was listening to a podcast interview of Russian expert analyst, Ian Bremmer, who said that Putin is stunned at the resolve and leadership of President Biden as he pushes back on Putin's threat to invade Ukraine.  Putin had thought there was a real opportunity to split a weak and indecisive NATO, an opportunity to bully an old, senile Biden, and continue his project of re-establishing the old Soviet sphere of influence, especially pushing the U.S. out of NATO and reducing NATO military defenses.  He suffers from delusions of Russian empire along the lines of the Soviet empire.

 

But he found a firmly resolved U.S. led by Biden who has coordinated with the NATO countries to push back and inflict real pain on Putin if he misjudges and tries to take over control of Ukraine.

 

It is always possible, of course, that Putin will do damage, and it could be terrible, and I deeply hope that the U.S., NATO, and Russia can negotiate a resolution to Putin's mistaken power play.  But there is a real danger here.  Especially since Putin and China's Xi are buddying up to weaken the U.S for each of their own reasons. There has long been a terrible possibility that America could have military conflicts with both China and Russia.  I am hoping and praying that wise, and firm, and collaborative leadership by Biden and America can calm these tensions and lead to a more peaceful world, especially amongst these three powers.

 

(Don't even mention North Korea, who is probably feeling neglected and wanting flex its nuclear threats)

"Legitimate political discourse"?

In case there was any doubt, the Republican Party is no more.  The Republican National Committee formally announced its demise a couple of days ago by the way it censured the two Republicans on the House Select Committee investigating the violent coup attempt on January 6 last year. 

 

"RNC said that the investigation is “...a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” ...  Repeat ... "...ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse".  !!!  Oh boy.

 

This was a violent smashing into Congress that killed people, calling for then Vice President, Mike Pence, and duly elected Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to come out of hiding.  They had handcuffing zip ties on them and a noose with a scaffolding outside the Capitol.  They had reserve forces hiding in hotels nearby with 15,000 rounds of ammunition.  This was not a "legitimate political discourse".  This was a violent attempt to overthrow an election.  Which failed. Thank goodness.

Add to this horror is a speech that the Loser just gave at a rally in Georgia where he called for violence under the wink, wink calls for "protests" - "...I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protests we have ever had in Washington, D.C., in New York, in Atlanta and elsewhere" - for what reason? if he is indicted.  Indicted. He knows the grip of the law is closing in and he wants his Cult to commit violence to keep him out of bankruptcy and prison.  

And, oh yes, he made a very public and overt witness tampering statement when he promised pardons for those who would refuse to testify against him.  He did that during his presidency, of course by praising Roger Stone  for refusing to cooperate on investigations to his earlier crimes, and then pardoning him after he was sentenced.

I continue to hold hope and trust in the goodness of America.  I continue to hope that actual Republicans will turn against and turn away from the demented autocrat trying desperately to escape from the consequences of his life of crime and bullying and cruelty.  I praise Mike Pence for making a very public speech denouncing the Loser's false claim that the Vice President had the power to overturn the presidential election.  I praise the courage and integrity of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for joining with the House Select Committee investigation into the violence of January 6, including the planning and buildup to that horrible day, and I hope that they can also investigate the concerted actions of the still active coup plotters as they have been and are plotting the next coup.

The question is, do the MAGA Cult need the Loser at all?  For the RNC to decide on their own to declare January 6 to be "legitimate political discourse" could well mean they are way beyond any need of the former leader of the MAGA Cult.  There has always been a white supremacist and a racist Christian Nationalist movement in this country since its founding.  But until they saw themselves being openly courted by the Former Guy, they were fringe dangers.  Now they run what used to be the Republican Party.

 

Not good for the Republican Party, or the United States of America, nor the world.  

I can only hope that actual Republicans say no, and turn away from these dangerous people.