Tea and Vitriol

One definition of stupidity is "To repeat the same failed actions numerous times but expecting a different and successful result this time." The European Commission's head honcho and tough titty Ursula von der Leyen announced yesterday that she was imposing a 19th package of sanctions against Putin's Russia. This is supposed to somehow help to end Russia's war of aggression in the Ukraine. And the previous 18 package of sanctions against Putin's Russia? What did they accomplish? Why, absolutely nothing. Putin is winning the war in Ukraine. He has been unimpressed by the babbling of western European "democracies" since he forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and despite all 18 ensuing packages of sanctions, the European Union STILL does business with Russia, either directly or in a roundabout way. For that matter, so does the United States. So, what will the 19th package of sanctions do to hurt Russia? Why, absolutely nothing. And that is the...

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is effectively dead. Conceived to prevent further Soviet expansion in Europe and bankrolled largely by the United States, it was merely a paper tiger and rarely effective anywhere. It took NATO a good long time to counter Serbia's genocide against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo at the turn of the 21st century, while it ignored Serbia's similar attempts at genocide against Muslims in Bosnia Herzegovina (ethnic cleansing) just a few years earlier. Go figure. One can argue that neither case involved states or territories that were part of NATO, yet NATO ignored the one case but involved itself in the second. Which, quite frankly, could provide NATO with an excuse to intervene in Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. If they had the balls to. Which they don't. Then, after 9-11 in the US, then President George W. Bush called upon NATO to make war against the terrorists based in Afghanistan who perpetrated that outrage. The result wa...

First of all, The Donald never solved any wars that he has taken credit for, which doesn't stop him from repeating that lie. Perhaps he hopes that if he repeats it enough it will become fact. We know that he is a narcissistic megalomaniac and a blowhard, ready to speak his mind in season and out, refusing to be influenced by the facts. Which means that he is delusional as well. Secondly, while he can bully weaker countries (most larger states do, whether or not you care to admit that), he has run into brick walls with China , India , Brazil and now Venezuela , who are not cowed by The Donald's tariff antics and saber-rattling. India, in particular, has faced The Donald's wrath for NOT bowing down to his demand that they cease purchasing Russian oil . They have been offended by The Donald's statement that India is responsible for the war in Ukraine by buying Russian oil and therefore keeping Russia's economy able to continue its military campaign. Never mind the fa...

It is the stuff of which high farce is made. One week ago, The Donald met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. The purpose was to discuss Putin's war against Ukraine. Apart from Putin reiterating his demands for ending the war for the umpteenth time in public, on American soil, it accomplished nothing more than providing a photo op. So, death and destruction in Ukraine will continue. While The Donald hailed this meeting as "successful," "10 out of 10," all it did was show the world who the more powerful leader was. It wasn't The Donald. Then, heady with failure, The Donald got on the phone with Ukraine's Zelenskyy and summoned him to Washington DC in two days, informing him to wear a suit this time. The Donald and his cronies made much of the fact that Zelenskyy didn't wear a suit at the February ambush and sent Zelenskyy packing for not being suitably grateful or humble enough for previous US aid. Zelenskyy was also able to bring s...

The much-anticipated meeting between The Donald of the United States and Russia's president Vladimir Putin finally occurred yesterday. In Alaska , of all places. Alaska originally belonged to the Russian Empire , which sold it to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million. Two years ago, after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine , Putin demanded that the United States return Alaska to Russia, which even then-President, Sloppy Joe Biden, wasn't senile enough to consider. While the incredibly stupid Sarah Palin really COULDN'T see Russia from her house, Russia is only 52 miles across the Bering Strait from Alaska. That was the reason Alaska was chosen to be the site of this historic meeting between two of the three most powerful men in the world. Only China's Xi  wasn't there to make up a threesome and a circle jerk, which is just as well, because the whole thing turned out to be a lot of nothing. Bupkis. The other reason that Alaska was chosen to be the...

Controversial Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley announced her resignation earlier this week. It will take effect on August 31, so she has another three weeks to milk to office for all that it's worth. Monroe County NY includes the dying City of Rochester. In a rather mawkishly sentimental statement, she announced that, at 62, it was time for her to ride off into the sunset. Many people would argue that she should have left a long time ago. But, at 62, with 33 years in the DA's Office, and 13 of them as its head honcho, she will be able to collect a healthy pension in full. Monroe County's first female District Attorney is most famous for offering "The Deal," by which violent criminals and white-collar felons are allowed to plead down to lesser charges for reduced sentences. This allowed her to clear her books and state that "Justice has been done." Only it hasn't been. One example consists of a young man who intentionally murdered and se...

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is a liar. A big one. Even among politicians, that is quite a remarkable feat. Most people living in so-called "democracies," especially the western ones, have grown accustomed to usual political lying, especially during election years when grandiose promises are made to sway voters and keep themselves in office. Sadly, both the voters and the politicians know that the vast majority, if not all, of the promises the political candidates make will not be kept. Once elected, these politicians feel that they have a right to steal, that they can make any statement no matter how untrue, dare anyone to question them and ultimately threaten anyone who calls them out on their lies. One need only to look at the actions of Russia's Putin and Turkey's Erdogan enforcing their displeasure against any and all who oppose them or dispute their narratives On local, more parochial levels, one doesn't have to look further than their own...