(#4867) We must beat Russia now!

      I don't care about the hesitancy of Spain, France, Germany, et al... Beating Russia now is the only way to stop their authoritarian government and give democracy a chance to grow. We keep forgetting that Alexei Navalny is still in prison and won't be released until the last vestiges of putin are defeated. Navalny is like our Beto O'Rourke in Texas, a fresh start on the correct path to human dignity and equal rights. If putin is allowed to save face and keep on with his brutal rule then the lost lives in Ukraine become meaningless. I am ashamed of what some in the EU are trying to do to give putin his power back with parts of Uraine. I know they are trying to save lives in Ukraine but that isn't their decision to make.
     Ukraine is the one who is being harmed as so is democracy so the outsiders in the west who have helped to varying degrees with Ukraine's military and humanitarian needs should just be quiet and let Ukraine do what they must do to make this invasion by Russia's putin pay it's toll. There is no value to be sought in the face of murder that would equal the loss of life but the end of this invasion needs to be made by Ukraine, not some other country worrying about their societal needs secondary to ultimate harm. I get the geopolitical angst but with murderous invasions the culprit cannot be given a dispensation especially when their goal is to wipe out democracy.
     The naivete of the worry wart western countries who struggle with their internal energy needs can only be summarized thusly; The selfishness it takes to claim for yourself at the expense of others is both near sighted and stupendously cowardly. The sacrifice the Ukrainian people have already suffered cannot be the springboard for others to be greedy about. The whole world needs to suffer if that is the correct thing to do to right a wrong. Not some or most of us but all of us! We share in our democracy our values and they cannot be assuaged by petty arguments that only show our own weaknesses. Stay strong and firm and beat the Russians back to their beginnings. It is the only way our world will recover and improve over the short term and long term.

(#4866) Stay focused on Ukraine

      We human beings are at a tipping point in our history, no different to me than the last world war. We either fight to keep our best form of government alive, democracy, or we let it slip away from us leaving our futures dark and unforgiving. Although this invasion of Ukraine is on the other side of the world from us here in the states, we are no less compromised if Russia is victorious. Because Russia will not stop at Ukraine. They are hellbent on taking the world bit by bit if we don't stop them now! If you think it is hard now to stop them then think about how it will feel when Russia takes Ukraine and then our NATO allegiances start to crumble in the face of the Russian threat.
     We, the western democracies, will never be as strong as we are right now. So now is the time to end the Russian threat and put a stop to the madness that is being displayed. If we don't stop Russia in Ukraine then expect to see China move on Taiwan. It is an inevitable consequence of being weak. If we show weakness then The Russian and Chinese governments will attack us and/or our allies hard! So every decision we make concerning the strategy of the Ukrainian defense is critical. Sure we don't want to escalate to a nuclear war but we cannot control the Russian hierarchy and it's decisions to escalate or not. All we can do is push Russia back to beyond it's borders with Ukraine and then keep them back with all our might.
     If hitting inside Russia with missiles to thwart any attempt from Russia to stockpile weapons purposed for Ukraine then so be it. There is no soft pedaling this defense of Ukraine. We have to hit Russia hard and with mighty force to get their attention and make them withdraw from their murderous attack. We must in essence beat the bully to a pulp so that the bully will never again think that they can take what is not theirs! Such is the case with putin and his Russian acolytes. Beat them down hard and then leave them harmed and begging for mercy!

(#4865) All quiet on the eastern front

      Not a lot of news is getting out on the battle for the eastern part of Ukraine lately and that may be a good thing. Although I suspect that there is much happening now that is being kept quiet so as not to inform putin on what equipment is coming or what is going to happen once it does. I hear bits and pieces of some movements within the current battle and a supposed Russian advantage but like in all battles the initial confrontation is just the first moves on the chess board. Being sucked into places with apparent victories is a strategy that has worked well through the ages. I expect the Russians know this but with their  under performance to date I cannot be sure.
     The west through Biden and Zelenskyy have surely mapped out a strategy that will be anything if not complicated so as the next days unfold we are sure to see a more enlightened detailed account of how the battle for Donbas is progressing. The Donbas and Crimea will not be let go of by Ukraine so an overall effort to keep both within the Ukrainian sphere is as well surely part of this current Ukrainian push to end putin's murderous attempt to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign nation. If I had my way I would take border areas away from putin and add them to Ukraine as part of a spoils of war go the victors scenario. But getting Ukraine's original borders back would be sufficient.
     Much has been happening here in the states so the news of Ukraine has become diluted to say the least and as with most worthy news events eventually fades given our penchant to short term attention spans. Yet Ukraine is still the biggest story on the planet and until there is a resolution to the murdering by putin it will remain so. The problems here in the US could easily be mitigated under sensible guidelines yet republicans cannot get there. So we know what to do and just need to do it. In Ukraine the fighting has been fierce and the Ukrainian spirit has been incredible but there is not sure way to win other than to fight given the ego maniac in Moscow.

(#4864) I have been more tired but I can't remember when

      Both mentally and physically, I am worn out. Yet I can't stop either form of persistence. I had really hoped for some well deserved rest in 2016 if we would have elected Hillary Clinton to the presidency and the Supreme Court would have been much different. So would not having trump in office destroying our democracy for his buddy putin. but no, we didn't elect Hillary, which was a real gut punch the night of the election for me and undoubtedly 10's of millions of other folks, So as tired as I was back then I was even more worried that without resistance, trump would be free to kill our democracy and destroy the lives of we who opposed him. I even considered leaving the States for Canada.
     But a consideration is just that. I figured out that staying here and fighting for our democracy was the correct course even if my fellow US Americans were fighting against me. At least living in California where we progressive/liberals have a strong presence made life more bearable. But still I was spent from the President Obama years fighting to get us to a more perfect union. But I and many of my fellow democratic believers endured and we swept the midterms in 2018 which brought us out of a real danger zone with trumps. Still though the fight was consistent and just as difficult going forward into 2020.
     But we democrats triumphed again and brought about real change albeit incomplete change given manchin/sinema. So the midterms for 2022 are as crucial now as the general election in 2020. We must win more senate seats and hold onto a comfortable house majority margin. All of this requires all our efforts. Which is what must be done despite the depth of our bone weary tiredness. On top of all that I am remodeling this old house I have and the work is taking a toll on me from that paradigm. Plus the daily and weekly chores never go away. I am not getting younger I am getting older and the amount of all of this I continue to endure will eventually knock me on my butt. Yet not until we get what we need in the midterms that are less than 165 days from today.

(#4863) The democratic wave is building

      Once again we are going to have a blue wave election. Much to the consternation of media pundits, the republicans are going to get clobbered. Under normal circumstances the party out of power usually gains in the midterms, but in this case that won't happen. Why you ask? I will tell you. Because after 2 years the party in power makes mistakes and has to answer for them from the party out of power that offers better solutions. Well with this current republican party there are no solutions being offered at all except to go back to wasn't working before democrats got into power.
     Another reason is that the republican party is a shithole of negatives. They are for too many of the policies that most of us hate. They are callous and reckless with power and end up destroying more than anything they may try to build. They are also clueless about how to lead. They decide what they don't want to do for us to solve problems and then stick their noses in the trough to feed their own desires. The republican alternative is sadly a known one. They keep trying to help the wealthy while ignoring the masses. For this reason alone it should be obvious that the republican party will not succeed in this coming November election.
     But the main reason the republican party will fail is that we democrats are actually doing okay with policies. The inflation thing is a byproduct of the trump failed leadership and is being addressed. The Covid virus that came to us under trump is also being addressed and solved. People are back to work and we are beating Russia in Ukraine. Very good things are happening under democratic leadership while the republicans are working overtime to enhance murders and their weapons and taking human rights away from all women. As the republican party keeps lying about their intentions their intentions are blowing up in their faces so no, the party out of power, the republicans, are not going to do well at all in this coming midterm election!

(#4862) To save abortion rights and implement common sense policies we must add to our Senate and keep our House

      It won't matter what this current Supreme Court in name only does this summer to our rights. We can change all of it next November when we democrats add to our majorities in both houses of Congress. Let me explain: When we add at least a few more senators to our majority we can then go about eliminating the senate filibuster. Demings, Ryan, and Fetterman, 3 democratic senators who well could win seats in the Senate, are all onboard with eliminating the filibuster. When that comes true next year in the next Congress, all policies that the House passed and then died in the Senate because of the filibuster would be reintroduced  and passed in the House and then go directly for a vote in the Senate.
     No more having to get 60 votes to get a bill from the House onto the floor of the Senate for debate and then passage. No more having to try and convince manchin and sinema to do the right thing since they would be made moot by the new incoming democratic senators. With 52 or more democratic senators they won't be needed to vote for eliminating the filibuster, which would only require 50 votes plus Vice President Harris if needed. Then the skies open up and all kinds of policies can occur. New abortion laws that enshrine women's right to choose into law. Also to me the most important is passing voting rights protections. As well getting DC and Puerto Rico in as states is another really important component. Gun control legislation,  federal minimum wage increase, Medicare for all, etc...
     There is nothing now more important in life than to win the upcoming election so that we democrats can lead The United States of America out of this republican induced nightmarish scenario. Every eligible democratic and independent voter must find a way to get themselves registered to vote and then actually vote. That is all it will take, each individual doing whatever they have to do in order for them to cast a vote for every democrat on their ballot. There is no other option in this current reality. We democrats are the best option for fixing problems while also creating new paradigms that actually help people improve their own lives. We are not a crutch for the conmen/women here in the states, we are a helping hand to those who actually need and desire help to get them going on their own.

(#4861) Resisting common sense gun laws will kill the republican party!

      It is all lining up for a real democratic wave in November. As the consequences of republican policies reveal themselves the worse off republicans are. Because the policies of the republican party are dangerous and deadly. The republican party is for unfettered access to weapons for civilians. The republican party is for restricting voting rights to those Americans it deems won't vote for them. The republican party is regulating a woman's body thus making them second class citizens to men. The republican party is for ending medicare/medicaid and social security. The republican party is for eliminating the federal minimum wage, etc...
     Seeing all this in my first paragraph reminds me that nothing here is anything I would want for myself or anyone else. So how come reasonable persons like myself would ever vote for republicans? Is there something within these policies that I am not perceiving? I cannot for the life of me divine any silver lining here. So should it be for other reasonable people. I expect that the reasonable people in the US outnumber the unreasonable people. Which should be the difference in the voting come November. Where there are people who are divided in their needs from both parties even they should break more heavily toward democrats. Mainly because of the illogic republicans keep announcing in protecting their policies.
     Setting aside all the electoral polling and punditry from the network news outlets. The very idea that children killed in school is being lessened by republicans so that they can keep as a priority no gun control legislation is what I will call the last straw. Keeping the reality of mass murder as a priority over not having mass murder is their narrative. They won't say it like that but in protecting the idea that everyone should be able to arm themselves like they are a third world country is their goal. You won't hear a republican do anything other than offer thoughts and prayers as a solution because they will never blame weapons for the death weapons wreak on our population. Which to me is the straw that will break the republican Camel's back!
     

(#4860) 7 days to go before my prediction that putin will be gone

      I know I don't have much to base my assumption that putin will be gone before May ends on but the trajectory of putin's criminal assault on the nation of Ukraine is falling off the chart. Given that Russians have little tolerance for their tyrants failing miserably on the world stage, it is a no brainer for me. That the Kremlin is close to ending the putin experiment should not be a surprise to anyone who knows a little Russian history. putin will not survive this massive failure and that is pretty much the obvious assumption but what I am saying here is that it will not be months or a year from now but any day now.
     There have been purported assassination attempts on putin's life recently with no success to show for it but the idea that putin is not vulnerable is naive. As the daily losses continue to mount his standing with the Kremlin becomes more tenuous. What has really shocked me is that the Kremlin has not acted before this posting. I expected a little bit more intelligence from one of the worlds most feared intelligence gathering apparatuses. So maybe like putin's army, the Kremlin is as ill prepared to handle it's business. It is a theory but not one I expect to be true. Which is why I say putin will be done before May ends. His ambitions have been greatly reduced as has the resources of Russia.
     The Russian intelligence services are already making plans for post putin and it is now just a matter of how much time before they execute those plans. My not incorrect assumption is that the longer the Kremlin waits the worse it gets for Russia to recover everywhere in their society. Ukraine will not be allayed in its push to hurt Russia in every phase of society it can within the bounds of wartime rules of engagement. That is enough of an infliction of pain that hurts added in with the sanctions the west is continuing to apply to Russia, The end cannot come soon enough for those Russians who want to live a normal life and not one constricted and fraught with death. Any day now...

(#4859) The seditionist republican party calling for civil war

      To hear the cable news channels this morning it is like nothing abnormal is happening. Instead of running around with their hair on fire which they should be doing they are just acting like everything is normal. They have normalized the sedition and treasonous calls for civil war by the republican party so much that you would think it is normal to overthrow your own democratic government and replace it with a tyrannical one. I don't get it and many of us are just aghast at the bored nature of cable news. They live in a bubble and cannot for the life of me see the impending doom to our society.
     They keep living in this world where they see the traitors in the republican party gaining control of our government in the next election. I don't know why they keep believing these bought and paid for polls that keep republicans above their own despicable behavior but shame on them for doing so. I know it is just still May and the election is just under 6 months away but it is disgusting to me that the cable news channels are so lackadaisical about reality in our current moment. The republican party is offering the US citizens literally nothing as a platform but do the cable news networks highlight this? No, We who are ordinary citizens have to do that so the average voter rarely gets that information.
     Do the cable news outlets call republicans out for their constant lying and criminal behavior on a daily basis? No, but they sure do bring up controversial issues that face our society and want to know what we democrats are doing about them! Instead of focusing on the republican party which is mainly to blame for the problems we now face as a nation. The cable news outlets are instead being critical of democrats who are only trying to fix the problems that are hurting the working middle poor class that republicans keep creating. The narrative the cable news shows are pushing more and more are the demands for solutions from democrats needed in the moment instead of the causes created by republicans over and over and over. It is embarrassing and shameful yet with the cable news shows, like republicans, embarrassment and shame are not a problem.

(#4858) Ukraine's decision to fight is reshaping our world for the better

      When Ukrainian President Zelenskyy famously said, "I don't need a ride (out of Ukraine to save himself), I need more ammunition", he provided a shocking recognition to the democracies in the world that has been nothing short of a call to action with purpose! His determination to fight the putin horde attacking his people's country has reawakened the fighting spirit that has always been a hallmark of democracies and their will to survive. With most all countries in the world siding with Ukraine the performance of the Ukrainians to push back against the murderous Russian horde has been inspiring and heroic.
     What this turnabout forced by Zelenskyy has accomplished is almost indescribable. He went from underdog and massively outgunned to now the strongest army in Ukraine with Russia on the defensive and most likely gearing up for an embarrassing loss. When Zelenskyy made the decision to fight with all his might he set the world order onto a new course. Russia had thought they would bully their way through Ukraine and capture the whole of it within days of it's illegal and inhumane invasion. Yet that is not the outcome. Instead the people of Ukraine, with help from ammunition from western countries have shown putin that he is not the omnipotent bully he thought he was.
     What is shaping reality now is the fact that putin has lost a huge percentage of his army while barely holding on to the gains they made from 2014 when the unofficially annexed parts of Ukraine. Even now those 2014 gains are in jeopardy and how much longer putin thinks he can hold out against a Ukrainian force approaching a million fighters is becoming increasingly unclear. As putin keeps weakening the Ukrainian force keeps getting stronger. Which is a perfect metaphor for the concept of democracy. As democracy fights back and autocracy diminishes, the same fate for other world leaders who think they can bully through strongarm tactics are finding that there is no oxygen in the room for them to breathe.

(#4857) The illegal invasion by putin of Ukraine may be ending shortly

      Where will Russia get its necessary weapons to keep on fighting the murderous invasion of Ukraine? With most of the world now against Russia there are few options left for Russia to sustain its supply of deadly weapons. This is why when I hear the pundits talk about a protracted "war" in Ukraine I smirk to myself because it is like they are reading from a script that maybe applied 40 years ago. This cold blooded invasion by Russia is not the typical warring offensive Russia had anticipated so there was no stockpiling of weapons and parts for a long invasion. That putin thought it would be all over in 3 or 4 days tells us that very little if any planning had gone into his cold calculus and now he is caught out with his drawers down.
     This brutal invasion of Ukraine is not going as putin planned so his military is being forced to do a lot without the planning or the supplies it needs to have a chance. Russia is going to lose this cruel gambit and now it is just how fast the loss is officially recorded. With very few warring supplies in reserve, with dwindling soldiers capable and and willing to fight this ego maniacal driven death march, putin will soon find that he has left his whole nation vulnerable to attack from every unfriendly border. How much longer will it take those around putin to throw up the white flag and do a course change within the Kremlin?
     The longer it takes for the Moscow insiders to enact a regime change the worst it gets for Russia almost exponentially. I cannot believe that the powers that be around putin can take this much longer and still do nothing to stop it. The whole of Russia will suffer immeasurably because of their hesitation to save their own homeland from the ego of the wanna be world dictator putin. Which is why I do believe that a regime change is coming sooner than later and that putin in his desperation will herald that change because of his own erratic behavior. There is no shame in saying enough of this and the powers that be in the Kremlin need to do what is best for the Russian society and stop being scared little rabbits when it comes to putting a stop to putin!

(#4856) Growing up was a hard thing but it has to be done

     I remember my teenage years and how inadequate I felt most of the time. Back then I could assuage that feeling a lot of the time with drugs and drink but the problem of it never left me. We could do much more as growing children than is possible now so that was why the drugs and drink were an option. I did all the class work at school, played on sports teams and was generally a good guy, yet I didn't feel like I was worthy of anything special in my life. Like I had no depth or insight into what life is all about. I am sure I was not the only one even through the generations. But I did eventually learn that no matter how insignificant I may have felt there was always a hope within me to find my place on this planet.
     I survived the rough and tumble of fitting in and being accepted that junior high and high school forces upon all of us so that was good. But I knew of many who didn't and then dropped out of school because they didn't need the daily harassing shit that they too often were subjected. Despite that though many of us were able to finish school and move on into our lives with not too much difficulty. In my own case there was a longing for anything else than marriage and a nine to five job. I had to explore my surroundings and be free to live vicariously while I was still young and vibrant. I think about those days now and even though they may have seemed a waste to outsiders to me they were timely and well spent.
     Trying now to live in my golden years is a joke because life has taken its toll on me and the idea I could do and see the things I saw when I was still young, now, is ludicrous. I am barely able to do the chores and limited work projects that in my mind have to be done. So being a wild man gambling his life on many outrageous but exciting entertainments and adventures while still surviving absolutely cannot be done at my current age. After I spent my desires for wild and crazy times I was able to settle into a more general nine to five type life and also pick an occupation, several actually, that I liked and found challenging. All in all the hard in my life served to make my life much clearer to me after realizing that I did belong on this planet and without a doubt deserving of happiness and my choices to make.

(#4855) The putin invasion has shown who is for good and who is for bad

      The silver lining if at all is that all the world is having to show it's stance on the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine. With China and some small rogue nations, not unexpected, siding with putin, the die is cast on their suspect participation in world events going forward. What is a bit of a shock is the stance of Turkey. I know that traditionally Turkey has been a key ally but over the last few decades Turkey has been leaning more into the Russian sphere of cooperation. They find themselves in a tough spot but doing the right thing is not always easy and in this case is not easy at all.
     But by choosing to help Russia more in this instance is wrong by many degrees. Russia is killing innocents in its invasion of Ukraine and Turkey is not applying the correct amount of empathy to help stop the Russian murder of Ukrainians. With Erdogan, the president of Turkey, putting a hold on the inclusion of Finland and Sweden into NATO the die is cast now on how Turkey moves forward. There is a lot of angst about this Erdogan decision and for me it is a game changer, like considering the necessity of Turkey's inclusion in NATO. But that is not the endgame yet and there is still time to persuade Turkey to stop the hold on the Finnish and Swedish inclusion into NATO.
     The weaknesses and strengths of our alliances around the world are being evaluated based upon the side each nation takes on the Ukrainian genocide. What is also being exposed is the republican party and its attachment to the trump/putin authoritarian destruction of democracy both here in the United States of America and in the world in general. The Ukrainian attack is a catalyst for all the world to consider and decide which side of history they will stand on. With most of the world against the illegal, murderous invasion and genocide of the sovereign nation of Ukrainian the die is also cast that the wests intent to stop Russia and putin in particular is absolute!

(#4854) Upgrading my house, like what we need to do to Ukraine when we finish putin

      There has been a lot of upgrading going on with my house and I would have posted about it before this but I have been busy doing all the little things that need to be done around all the big things being done. My roofer is just about finished putting down, on my flat roof, a white rubber membrane roofing material that should solve all the leaks I have had in the past few years with the traditional tar roofing material. Tearing off all the old tar and replacing it with the new substance, EPDM – Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer, has been a chore but when I look at it from the top of the roof it looks amazing.
     This was the cheaper option, although not cheap, than what I would have preferred, new stick framing or truss roof with an easy 4/12 hip or gable roof. Where the old swamp cooler was in the roof over the hallway is now the new home of a 2'x2' skylight that gives the hallway a brightened look. Work in my bathroom and out in the front carport and back patio area is also ongoing and/or complete. It seems that once I got the ball rolling on the roof replacement material all the other needed to be done projects fell into place. So as I have been busy with all the things going on I have also been feeling grateful that I can do all of this without a war going on and missiles dropping out of the sky onto me.
     So until putin and his horde are thrown out or buried under Ukrainian soil the work to rebuild Ukraine will have to wait for the most part. Not only do they need to repair their country, but they need to just bulldoze it over where needed and start afresh. The inanimate objects that were destroyed or damaged badly will be easier to remake or redo than the animate scars of the illegal invasion by putin and his thugs. Yet life is what it is and the only way to get through it is to stop the madness and then reestablish normalcy. Much like my house, the damage of the years are being addressed and so shall the damage of brutality be addressed in Ukraine.

(#4853) Quit normalizing republicans dammit!

      I am sick and tired of the cable news shows previewing republicans like they are a viable ruling party under democratic values. They are not. They are all about maintaining power so as to dictate terms to us about how we should live. That is not how democracy works. Democracy is the people being represented by public officials who follow the will of the people not the people following the will of the public officials. As this election season is building momentum toward election day on November 8th, the cable news shows are acting like the republican party just didn't attempt a failed coup of our democracy.
     Like all is forgiven so as to make some contest that is close out of the most traitorous political party since the Civil War. The cable news shows are trying to sell advertising and they know that a lopsided victory by democrats will hurt their bottom line. And if all of us don't know already it is profit that makes for what is the truth nowadays. Especially with punditry and cable news executives funneling the narrative to fit their profit margins. One of these days I will be able to turn on the television and see a newscast that doesn't pull any punches and calls out the traitors that inhabit our political processes. I fear that day is far off so in the meantime I have to cull through their coverages to find real news that is far and few between.
     There are some cable news shows that are absolutely ridiculous so I never waste my time on them but my favorite cable news shows are being infected with that nefarious narrative of all is fair play in our politics. Which is the opposite of the truth. What we are doing with education and reality in the United States of America is going to hurt us badly for at least 3 generations. I am at the end of my last generational era and for that the silver lining is that I won't be here when our little democratic experiment finds itself without enough defenders to protect it because we are not teaching the values it takes to defend it. Prove me wrong and I will happily admit that I misjudged our fate, yet unfortunately, the odds are well in my favor of being correct.

(#4852) Ukraine!

      Most observers have begun to conclude that putin and his Russian horde are defeated. It is just now about how the end game plays out. Will putin survive in the next few days or weeks from his failure? Or will he summon something beyond what is expected and survive this humiliating defeat? My bet is that he is toast and with the way he is viewed by many within his ranks it is very possible a coup will occur. The chaos that exists in his inner circle is a byproduct of putin's previously strong hand. Yet with each day his grip on power has weakened and how that plays out is another question to be answered. Who will step up and put an end to the putin regime?
     What putin has done with his murderous invasion of Ukraine is start a catalyst of strength now built within the Ukrainian resistance. How Ukraine comes out of all of this is now seen as much stronger than when they were first invaded. As Russia weakens Ukraine strengthens. The power play by putin has boomeranged so forcefully that now Russia is the prey and Ukraine is the hunter. There is no doubt in my mind that the forces within Russia also know this and should be well into planning putin's retirement such as that may be. I still believe that any day now putin will be done and a new leadership team will emerge from Moscow.
     The sooner a coup in Russia takes place the better for Russia in the world. As putin continues the worse it keeps getting for Russia to reemerge from this horrendous attempt to strong arm a sovereign nation. All the while Ukraine is fast becoming an ally to the west that is powerful and life changing. Europe will be much stronger in defending itself while also expanding democracy to other corners of the world. Ukraine is the hero in this era and because of them our world is going to be a better place to live. Not just for them but for all countries that can see what has happened in Ukraine and want the same for their own countries.

(#4851) Any day now putin will be no more

      As each day keeps bringing more and more bad news to the Russian people about the failures of land gain by Russia in Ukraine, the closer we get to the oligarchs in Russian society making a move to remove putin for good. The final solution for this murderous invasion orchestrated by putin is for putin to be put to his own formula. The end of putin will open the Russian society to a power vacuum that will take a bit to figure itself out. There are still powerful bad actors in the Russian hierarchy so ending putin may not be as happy a moment for democracy as we all would like, yet the dominoes have not fallen yet so all possibilities are still in play.
     Whatever happens after putin is moved off the board as a force, is still better than the continuing murder putin is still inflicting on the Ukrainian people. Just like the question of China and how we would approach an invasion by them of Taiwan. China has seen the resolve of the west and may now be tempering it's focus on a takeover of Taiwan. We will cross that bridge if and when that may happen but right now continuing the defeat of putin is paramount. The Ukrainian army is doing superbly well and will most likely remove Russia from it's shores sooner than later. The Russian army has shown itself to be vulnerable to hard fighting and low morale.
     So shortly the defeated Russian army will vacate Ukraine and that factual symbol of defeat will be too much for putin to survive. His inner circle will have no more of him and his embarrassing disaster that he has wrought on the whole of the Russian society. As with all loser Russian tyrannical leaders his fate is sealed. It is just a matter of timing now and the sooner the Ukrainians force the Russian horde back beyond it's borders the sooner putin will be replaced. There will be no Russian nuclear attack because the if putin tired to do something like that the oligarchs know that Russia will be retaliated upon to the point of ending the existence of Russia. So the clock is ticking on putin and any day now he will meet his fate.

(#4850) Is putin dying?

      Rumors of putin having Parkinson's disease and or cancer are getting louder. Yesterday there were reports allegedly from insiders that putin had cancer. His physical well being has been questioned a lot lately since he is showing signs of some form of disability. His current behavior suggests some kind of a mental deterioration, not so much cognitively but in his manner and abruptness. There are some signs like the puffiness of his face and the gait of his walk. It is almost like he is trying to hide a battle within himself that is more physical in nature than mental. If so then putin is facing more than one threat to his existence and may be why he is so adamant to secure his legacy.
     I don't think that putin is insane in his calculations but he is definitely not within the bounds of normalcy. Which to me is why we cannot wait to end his reign. There are leaders in France and Germany who would like to broker a cease fire right now on behalf of Russia so that a peace for a moment may be had. Yet Zelenskyy and Biden are opposed since it would only allow putin desperately needed time to reshuffle his forces into better positions for them to continue to attack in short order under some false flag claim. Zelenskyy and Biden are correct to ignore these calls for a cease fire since Ukraine has the upper hand in the fighting now and could well defeat the Russian horde shortly.
     That putin will die at some point in the near future is questionable since we do have laws that would keep him in prison for the rest of his life but if an attack from within his body is also raging then so be it and good luck to the disease within him. I say that because putin will not stop until someone stops him and the quicker the better for all the innocents who will be dead because putin is a living monster. Ukraine is kicking the hell out of Russian troops this morning and Russia is on the run back to it's borders in many areas of Ukraine. Russia is not done in some areas though and will keep on fighting and killing as long as putin is leading the illegal and murderous invasion.

(#4849) Another day closer to no more putin

      The Ukrainian people are thwarting the best of what Russia thought they could do when it came to murderous atrocities. Sure, Russia is still killing civilians but not at the rate that they were in the opening days of this cruel and brutish invasion. In fact the Russian army is being slaughtered at higher rates than they would have dreamed possible. Everywhere there are battles the Russians find themselves on the defensive. The morale of the Ukrainian people is high whereas the morale for the Russian invaders is basically nonexistent. What is their purpose there the Russian troops must be asking themselves?
     They know by now that this is not to liberate Ukraine from evil forces. Instead they are finding an unjustly harmed Ukrainian society that is angry and determined to turn the Russian invaders into fertilizer. There is little sympathy for the Russian horde that is invading and only the Geneva conventions of war are keeping many Russians alive that have surrendered or been captured. I know I would be hard pressed not to kill every Russian soldier who stepped foot on my country's soil but I am not the full bore savage that my inner self would like to become for moments in time like this. Not only are the Ukrainian people a good natured people even when warred upon but they are showing the world how to engage in a massive harm with dignity and respect.
     All of this to let you know that the worst of human natures are no match for the best of human natures. Which leads me back to putin who is the dictionary version of the worst of human natures. Not only is he a dark hearted dead soul but he is a chameleon, able to change his strategic behavior to fit the narrative. A straw man who can fool the fools. Well he cannot fool those of us who are not fools and instead he ignites within us a determined will to end all that he is. The walls of failure are closing in on the would be world dictator and with those closing walls come many different perils with specific intent to end the days of the murderous tyrant putin!

(#4848) The Biden presidency will reshape the world

      For all the things that are wrong in our societies the order for reshaping them is now under way. In the world at large one of the greatest threats to world order is being addressed in Ukraine and soon to be in Moscow. The end of putin and his ego driven ambitions is about to be concluded. the reuniting of the western world around the principle of democracy and self determination is about to be reinstated. In the world there are real hopes of a new reinvigoration of cooperation and respect. I like what I am seeing from what started with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy to other world leaders including our own president.
     There is much work to be done here in the states but the enemy to our society has been identified. The republican party has been for decades on a mission to deny the will of the American people and instead want to force us to accept their distorted theology as the only path forward. Well we have an election in 180 days and the opportunity to bolster our democratic advantages in the bi-cameral Congress is near. With a few more filibuster ending senate candidates elected, added to our already 50 senators the filibuster will be voted out as a rule and then we democrats will have the majority right to reshape our election laws and many more things including adding deserving new states to our union. An example is DC where it has a population larger than Vermont and also Wyoming, yet no congressional representation.
     As well, the job Joe Biden is doing to make life better for the working middle poor class, although obstructed by republicans and the misguided nonsense from manchin and sinema, is moving forward, albeit not fast enough. But that will change in the next election where legislation will be coming fast and furious without any way for republicans to block it. Joe has the heart of our nation in his heart and that is what a real president should have. For all the punditry and polls downplaying the hateful and treasonous republican party and actually touting them as somewhat favorites in the next election, a real awakening will be coming to them. We democrats and like minded independents and even some republicans are going to vote in a wave that no lying, cheating, republican can recover from.

(#4847) The Russians will be pushed out of all of Ukraine in less than a month

      The murdering monster putin has over played his capabilities. He thought he would have an easy walk through Ukraine and take any city he desired. He did not expect a foe in the President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, nor did he anticipate the pride of the Ukrainian people. He has been shown both oversights and in the meantime has lost much more than a quarter of his military forces. This is not what he envisioned. He thought that the Ukrainians would bow down to him and his invading horde like the cowards that Russians really are. Well that was the opposite of what happened and to this very day 11 weeks or so into this invasion putin is scrambling not to be shown as a poor loser.
     He will not be able to hide his failure as the architect of this horrendous genocide of Ukrainian citizens nor will he be able to hide his criminality. The mad dream of putin to conquer without casualties is broken and instead a feverish reality has dawned upon putin, he is a dead man walking and nothing he does from this point on will change that. So he will bluster and bristle at any and all for a few more weeks and his last gasp military attacks will find even stiffer resistance. The west has resupplied the Ukrainian fighting force and lifted their spirits to the point now where Ukraine is the dominant army in this ill conceived Russian invasion.
     It won't be long now before we see the retreat of Russian forces and their proxies. The Ukrainian army and citizen brigades will continue to push the Russian army backwards and when the fact of the Russian defeat becomes clear the Russian army will fall back into Russia with due haste. The Ukrainian forces will either stop at their own traditional borders or continue on to Russian territory to nullify any future geographical advantages for a period of time to protect the Ukrainian border. Either way Ukraine is poised to end this putin murderous rampage and then putin will have his hands full trying to stay alive one more day from the inner circle he made promises to and didn't keep!

(#4846) We democrats are going to wipe republicans out in November!

      I have never believed the narrative that republicans would retake the House and Senate in November. They are just to much of a scummy party. The polling to me is not accurate in the first place. Democrats will come home and vote for democrats and not for independents and republicans. As well independents will vote for democrats over republicans as well. There may even be more republicans voting for democrats than what has been traditional. All because the republicans attempted an insurrection, restricted and obstructed voting rights, and just as important denied women of self determination over their own bodies.
     Sure the economy will be part of the equation that republicans will try to use as a wedge but Biden has produced a strong economy despite world wide inflation. The republican party is mostly responsible for the Covid and post Covid turmoil and we democrats will keep reminding voters of this fact. If trump had not lied about Covid for the first 6 weeks of its spread here in America we would never have had now more than a million Americans die. But he did lie and that is what caused a great downturn in our society. The republican party has not been an honest partner in getting Covid under control nor in getting relief to the American people.
     With everything against them the republican party has only the ability to lie their asses off to keep their voters in their ranks. But a vast majority of voters know how pitiful republicans are and how they always cause trouble when they are in power. There will be a reckoning for what they are about to do to Roe v. Wade on top of the already motivated democratic party. This coming November will be a wipe out of all the hopes and dreams of the power lusting republican party. When we democrats do reconvene Congress in 2023, be prepared to have democratic majorities that won't be stifled by the likes of manchin and sinema. Things will get done and we Americans will be better for it!

(#4845) Reparations to every Ukrainian when putin is no more

      Yes, Russia will have to pay for rebuilding Ukraine but they will also have to pay each Ukrainian citizen for the suffering and anguish they made them endure. This will cost Russia for decades to make up for putin's aggressive invasion and wholesale slaughter of Ukraine's blood. There is no price on can place on the value of a murdered family member or the dismemberment of a friend. Yet there will have to be an accounting that at least attempts to put a cost on Russia for it's deadly decisions to follow it's leader into a murderous rampage. Never should something like this happen again and to make sure there must be costs applied to the doers that will eventually be forgiven, but not forgotten.
     A complete capitulation by the Russian forces and an acknowledgement of the truth of what happened and how it was caused to happen. The Russian people will be made to feel the shame that the German's felt when the atrocities of hitler were revealed. Same with the Russians. For that matter any society or group of people who harm like what Russia is doing now in Ukraine must be made to feel the shame and pay the cost of attempting to make the injured nation or people somewhat whole. The head of the Russian snake putin should not be allowed to breathe the same air as the rest of us once this debacle is decided or even before.
     My best solution for people like putin is to put him on a rocket and shoot him into space where the air is non-existent. However putin meets his end is not particularly a priority, yet that he does meet his end is. An example of all people who think they can spend the lives of others by fooling them or lying to them or any other trickery or subversion must be made and it must be out loud and clear for all to know and witness. We must be a society of civilized folks if we are to evolve into spaces beyond our own planet and setting the rules here on Earth for those who would take lives for gain must be profound and concrete.

(#4844) The fight to save Ukraine is our fight!

      For those republicans who still think that putin and his invasion is none of our concern well that is bullshit! Anywhere a bully murderers on this planet is our business. We are fighting to preserve civilization when we stand up to bullies whether they are heads of states or some local gang leader. Nowhere can we let the murder of force prevail when we have laws and institutions to prevent them. If we let some off the hook for their crimes then we are vulnerable to more who would see that as an incentive. Zero tolerance for murderers is our obligation to civilization.
     We all inherently agree to live under a social, moral, and ethical contract when we reside within society. For those outside society then they have a different code and if their code is in violation of ours then they must be brought to justice however their aggressions manifest. Same with those who live within our social, moral, and ethical societies. If they violate the laws established to maintain the right to exist within the laws then they must most assuredly be held to account. What is happening in Ukraine by the Russian horde and putin in particular is many violations of our norms. There has to be an accounting but in the meantime there has to be a stoppage of the rampage putin has initiated.
     The Ukrainian people have reminded us just what fighting for survival looks like. Their very existence is on the line here through no fault of their own. How could we as a purported democratic nation not step up and help them stave off extinction from the bully putin? The Ukrainian invasion by Russia is our fight as well and those other countries in the west are coming to the same conclusion. The tyranny of murderous force must never be allowed to exist as a pathway to power. Ending the Russian murderous invasion into Ukraine and putin's dream of conquering for the sake of conquering is no less than an attack on our very souls and must not be allowed to continue!

(#4843) putin will be gone by the end of this month if not sooner

      It won't be much longer before dead man walking putin is spaced into the sun, metaphorically or not. He has handled his murderous invasion so poorly that not even all his preparations over the past several decades will protect him from the looming outcome. He will lose his attempt to take over the eastern section of Ukraine and will as well be tossed out of Crimea when all the dust settles on his defeat. The Russian people will find out the true nature of putin's rule and they will not let him off the hook for it. Nothing going forward is a positive for putin so his only hope is to hang on as long as possible.
     Yet hanging on is not a strategy for survival. It is just a matter of time before his tenuous grip is not enough and he falls to his fate. His own inner circle is as nervous as he is and in that type of authoritarian system no one is safe from each other, not even putin. Someone from his inner circle will do the deed and eliminate putin in order to survive themselves. The future of Russia is at stake and the longer putin keeps up his mad murderous invasion the further Russia gets away from any type of reintegration back into civilized society. I doubt very much that the powers that be in Russia wish to be like the pariah north korea and be banished to the wastelands of society.
     In short order, within the next week or 10 days Ukraine will begin it's offensive maneuvers to shove the Russia invasion force from Ukrainian land. After that defeat there is little putin can do to change his own fate of being ousted permanently. There will be no face saving and instead there will be charges of the worst kind of war crimes. Both putin specifically and Russia generally will share in the penalties for murderous behavior beyond any recognizable defense should putin survive any palace coup. The options for putin are gone and only his incarceration or his death will be acceptable. I see this end for putin very soon and I am sure I am not the only one.

(#4842) Media attacking democrats for doing the right thing

      Too many pundits on television are attacking democrats for doing the right thing like trying to codify Roe v. Wade into legislation, instead of attacking republicans for wanting to overthrow Roe v. Wade. I am skeptical that the media thinks that democrats trying to keep rights for women and liberty for all of us is not good enough for them. I am also disappointed that they are not lining up their arguments against republicans who are the culprits here. Is it that they are afraid of republicans and don't know how to confront them without feeling scared? 
     I can point to republicans on just about every policy that is bad for Americans and say with accuracy that they are the authors of the bad policies. Why can't the media do the same? All democrats are trying to do is call out the republicans and their anti-democratic vision, and we are getting backlash from the media. I would have thought in any common sense and logical world that the bad guys, republicans, would be the ones who are getting raked over the coals for doing bad things. But not in today's world, the good guys are getting raked over the coals for not seeming to do enough to stop the bad guys from being bad. How cowardly of the media is that?
     So we democrats despite the media trying to make us look like bad guys will still keep fighting the good fight to protect the rights of women and all Americans as needed when republicans keep trying to deny rights to Americans. I suppose the media is smart, so I won't say they are stupid, but I will suggest that they have ulterior motives that are not being shown the light of day. Because why would you make democrats look bad when they are doing the good work and not go after the bad guys like republicans whenever and wherever they do bad things? There must be an incentive for the media because the media sure as no hell are not trying to help democrats expose and fault the bad guy republicans are committing!

(#4841) More than abortion rights at risk

      It is bad enough that the republican party wants to end the right of women to define their own lives. There is more here at stake. Roe v. Wade was established by a conclusion from the court that gave us a privacy right and a claim of liberty. A woman's right to choose an abortion was established under the Fourteenth Amendment to our constitution. Which was informed from an accumulation of rights together from the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments. If this current court strikes down abortion rights for women it also unsettles the established method by which Roe v. Wade was adjudicated.
     For all the bellicose yammering from the republican party about attacks of our rights and liberty, the republican party is reversing direction and planning to blow up our rights and liberties by nullify the formula for establishing them. I cannot for life of me understand any logic from republicans that makes sense about making life better under our democracy. The idiocy of what they are trying to do is nothing short of cutting off your own face to spite your nose. I have been saying this for decades and even more so in the last 10 years, the republican party needs to be annihilated in every election going forward!
     It won't end with abortion rights disappearing for women it will also tee up the end of interracial marriage, same sex marriage, birth control. That is still just the beginning. Once the right to privacy and claim of liberty are deconstructed no protection we currently have will be safe unless it is specifically written into our constitution. There is so much more here at stake that the simpleton republican majority on the court, and republican leaders, is letting on. They are going to take our democracy and turn it into some form of autocracy/theocracy. The next election will have to be the election of our lives if we are going to save our democracy and the only way that election saves our democracy is for every republican who can be voted out is actually voted out.

(#4840) too many republicans support putin and diminishing women's rights

      It is bad enough that the republican party is playing coy about helping Ukraine because it goes against putin and trump by extension, but they now want to destroy a women's right over her own body. What the fuck good is the republican party? Seriously! By letting putin do his own bidding in Ukraine the republican party is trying to destroy the young democracy that Ukraine wishes to establish. The anti American ideal of crushing democracy is a stain on the republican party that I thought would be enough for not insane people to hold republicans to account. But now add in their desire to end Roe v. Wade and you get an almost unbelievable duo of don't ever fucking do!
     No matter how you think about the idea of abortion, whether for or against, the choice to make should always be left to the woman, or female child. I personally am neutral on the idea of aborting a fetus but it is moot with me because, damnit I cannot get pregnant so I am not one to be involved in the decision. Women are the only ones who can decide whether to carry a fetus to term. That is there own paradigm and has nothing to do with we men who only can protect ourselves from impregnating a woman. Once we abdicate that right we also abdicate what happens afterward.
     So any policy that would take the right of the woman or young female to choose whether to abort a fetus, if that is her choice, cannot be allowed to become law. Each and every woman or female child has her own destiny to follow and what happens inside her body is part of that destiny. The insane judgment by the right wing members of the Supreme Court is to disallow a woman/female child her right to choose the destiny of her own self. Their right wing illogic is not consistent with liberty, equality, nor fairness. I am so sick and tired of the right wing, especially the men, who are the majority within it of trying to make laws that segregate against, while denigrating those who are not like them.

(#4839) Pack the court!

     The republican party has just given us our rallying cry for the November midterm elections! Packing the court is the only way to stop the coming onslaught of denial of rights from the conservative religious right that now controls our Supreme Court. It has been done in the past and can be done now. I know we don't have the senate votes to pack the court with manchin and sinema keeping us from jettisoning the archaic racist filibuster but the midterms will give us the opportunity to add more democratic senators in order to discard the filibuster and make life altering policies that actually help the citizens of our nation and not hurt us like is currently being done by this irrational majority republican Supreme Court.
     They put the concept of some kind of god ahead of our democratic principle of separation of church and state written into our constitution. It is amazing to me that these right wing simpletons on the court are willing to rewrite our constitution because of some non real belief system regardless of it's popularity. I am sick and tired of some fairy tale dictating our destiny when logic, science, and common sense should be our guiding formula for evolving our constitution to fit our modern more enlightened times. Going backward to the fear mongering and crowd control methods of organized religion is an evolutionary step backwards and beneath the dignity of a forward moving species such as ours.
     I cannot express the shame I feel right now about how narrow minded and illogical the majority on our Supreme Court has become but it was predictable given the scourge republican party and their lowering of themselves to use any trick they can offer as a method for doing one thing, keeping power. They are not a governing party they are a user party that has no regard for reality and no regard for truth. What they are doing to our society is despicable and nothing expresses that despicability more than them taking away rights that have been settled law. For the life of me I cannot fathom the following republicans have but I know this, it is because they stopped thinking for themselves and have let a loyalty to party diminish their stature in an enlightened species like the human race.

(#4838) Mariupol being evacuated

      I didn't write my blog post this morning because I was waiting to see something good happen so that I could have a more positive post for today. Well in the meantime I have been out front in the carport all day getting it ready for paint. So it is nice to hear that a corridor has been opened to let some civilians leave the city so that they can find some security. I am not getting much info on how many civilians have actually gotten out but even one is a relief. The fact that some were allowed to leave Mariupol is an advance since so far putin's Russia has been assholes about letting innocents leave the invasion.
     I don't call what is happening in Ukraine a war because it isn't a war. It is an invasion by a hostile nation into a peaceful one. That is not war, it is murder! But it seems that everyone is so out of tune by calling it a war, not me, because the truth matters! So innocent civilians being let go from the constant bombardment is a slight softening in the Russia intent to use every force at their disposal, even threatening civilians to get what it wants. Well there are conventions attached to military activities and Russia has been disabusing those conventions to their detriment. It doesn't seem that putin cares about what happens after he loses this invasion probably because he knows he is a dead man walking.
     I have been informed that when Kherson is liberated then Mariupol will follow so all eyes on what is happening in Kherson. The fighting is heavy and the Russian loses are surmounting. This will not be a long drawn out military invasion by Russia as they are running out of resources both economically and militarily. About 25% of putin's army has been destroyed as fighting units. Which leaves putin scrambling to find other fighters besides his own cannon fodder lackeys. The days of putin are coming to an end and don't be surprised at all if putin is taken off the board for good. It will come from souls within Russia as they are not going to put up with the shitstorm enveloping Russia for much longer!

(#4837) Joe Biden is kicking it!

      There is no way that Joe Biden is polling as bad as the polling sites are stating. Joe Biden is doing everything in his power to bring about good change for we Americans and also the people of the world, while defending democracy in Ukraine. I am being objective about this so I am not looking through some biased lens. Getting the world through Covid while also improving the lives of ordinary US Americans. The fact of inflation is a direct linkage to the horrible polices of the trump appointed presidency and what the criminal invasion of Ukraine is having to suffer from the best ally of trump, dead man walking putin and his Russian patsies.
     Still faced with nuclear threats and insurrection from the republican party, Joe Biden is standing up tall and firm in the face of their obstruction and disloyalty to democracy. So the idea that Joe Biden is not handling his job better than most anyone who would is real and unmistakable. Be the polling as it may be however it is just now May in an election year so not many are traditionally focused on politics despite the fact that they should be. The disinformation and propaganda coming from the right wing media, fox not news etc... is not being honest about who is doing what to preserve our democracy through equality and fairness.
     When the bright lights of Fall come into view spotlighted on the election in November the polling will not be this ridiculous. Because Joe Biden has been consistent in representing the majority of US Americans throughout and the loud noises from the far right will be tempered by the truth and the delivery of the truth. I expect an overwhelming democratic turnout in the face of the obstinate radical seditious republican party and the majority of voters will know that sticking with Joe Biden and his policies the proper way forward and giving him a Congress that has his back will most likely follow. By the time of the election I also expect putin to be spaced into the sun and Ukraine to begin to heal itself from the bully autocrat buddy of republicanism before the November election.