Weather for the day… 59° starting out, 71° when I got home overcast
Podcast Pod Save the World about Prigozhin
So the Republican “debate” last night, and Putin’s murder of one of his top Wagner guys like Prigozhin and his inner circle yesterday, forces me out of entertainment mode and back into this bullshit.… so here I go…
It is interesting to note about the Prigozhin assassination, and his inner circle, can't forget them, and the emotion of their friendly Russian general who had known about the military action toward Moscow recently, while Putin was at a World War II Memorial concert (where's the Ukrainian drones guys?) about the Russians fighting the Nazis. Which couldn’t be a more patriotic event for Putin to be at while he’s cleaning house. So while I’m saying this could be an accident or whatever, it seems to be a very well orchestrated, high-level militaristic type statement. By Putin.
We need to remind Russia of what Prigozhin said that the stated purpose of this war as being... bullshit.
I don’t think I ever mentioned about my son's girlfriend, who for the past year's been going through serious medical problems. I may have mentioned it briefly at some point in the past. But she’s had like 12 surgeries and the doctors have been consistently perplexed. There’s been multiple doctors and several hospitals involved. And they kept saying she could go home at a certain time and the next thing you know she’s in another surgery and the last four months have been intense. I would think it looks like a potential high value lawsuit for what, in confidence? It’s been a Russian novel tragedy except, luckily, happily, she is somehow still alive. We’re hoping they have fixed everything by now. I was telling him he should’ve been writing a journal to write a book or a movie about all this because I’ve never heard anything like this in all my life. We went through something bad with my younger brother back in the 70s where they thought he had one thing or another. Then leukemia and finally they settled on liver cancer. Which he finally died of two weeks before his 15th birthday in 1975. I did note that if his girlfriend today had been ethnic, black or Mexican or minority in America, she may well be dead months ago from what we’ve seen in the statistics for healthcare in America. Not to mention how poor our national record is regarding childbirth. Overall. And what the hell is that all about? Greatest technical medical care but some pretty bad health insurance and access. Let's not even get into mental health, which a specific conservative base seems to be suffering badly from.
I do believe we need unions. I do think they can be problems at times. I do think we need national healthcare. I do know the argument that America has such advanced medical procedures, but would argue not such great health care in many ways. I would take a step down from being a medical leader, if we could get everyone healthcare, yet stop having such poor statistics in certain areas in our healthcare.
Here’s the thing, the Republican bullshit, the autocratic nonsense... you establish a government to protect the people. When you decide to become the party of big business as the Republicans have, you’re blindsiding yourself about your citizens. And this nonsense about take care of the businesses and the money will trickle down to the citizens, is bullshit as we’ve seen proven time and time again. Enough magical thinking about economy. I get that we can’t just take care of people and ignore business, but we really truly need to re-balance.
How is it that Ukraine are a bunch of Nazis and so Russia attacks them... when Russia uses the Wagner group, named after the composer who was Hitler’s favorite composer, and their functional general commanding the troops in Ukraine has Nazi tattoos and signs his name with a double lightning bolt? The insignia of the Nazi SS? It’s kinda like listening to Trump talk in America where he starts saying things about how bad the Democrats are about bad things they do, when it’s all the exact shit that Trump’s been doing. The similarities and parallels between the Republican Party and Russia are now too stark anymore to ignore.
As Putin tries to absorb the Wagner group into the Russian military are we going to see Wagner guys in Belarus cross the border to Poland? Will they abandon Putin as Russia should have 10 or 15 years ago?
This is a good point about Wagner forces coming to the rescue of those who have recently executed a coup in Africa. What are they thinking? And how is that coup going to play out without their support? That being said, we really need to stop this imperialist, authoritarian bullshit that’s infecting and creeping like mold throughout the world.
So I’ve been trying to learn to use things like Siri on my iPhone 11. I think I’ve gotten good at Alexa now, so when I’m out and about I’ve been trying to use my iPhone for what its capabilities are. So here I am walking, doing my 5 miles, and I asked Siri a question. The stupid thing says, "Here check this out." Like I can read it when I want to hear it, like I do with Alexa most of the time. It’s really annoying.
I’m just wondering about Wagner group's leader, the late Prigozhin, and if he has adult children, who might take over his wealth. I wouldn’t be interested if they were to undermine Putin for murdering their dad? Did you know he once wrote a children's book? It takes place in a land of tiny people. Hmm, Gulliver's Travel's any?
Let’s be clear that Putin loves to associate himself with Russian heroes, who fought off the German Nazis in World War II. Yet he has brought under his wing Russian neo-Nazis like the Wagner group to fight against his made up stories of Ukraine, saying how they are a neo-Nazi country. Because some exist there, as they do here and certainly in RUSSIA. Ukraine has a Neo Nazi issue not as bad as Russia, or America. We both have more. And if you think otherwise, there’s your Russian propaganda. Sadly so similar to Republican propaganda.
One Ukrainian advisor linked in social media to the song Highway to Hell.
Seems interesting to me that with this attack against the Wagner group, having taken out their leadership, and demoting their friendly top Russian general, suddenly we hear reports of decent advances against Russian forces by Ukraine.
There’s an old saying about the oval office that presidents are forged on the anvil of the oval office. Or something like that.
"The presidency acts as a crucible of leadership, where the heat of responsibility shapes the character of those who hold the office." [Trump has no character, or just bad character]
"The Oval Office is where leaders are both tested and tempered, revealing their true mettle." [And we've seen Trump's, unworthy of either the title or office]
"In the crucible of the presidency, leaders are refined by the demands of the office, emerging as either strong statesmen or faltering figures." [Donald Trump, faltering figure]
Here’s the thing you need to let that happen when you take over as POTUS. Liking someone, because they refuse to be anything but themselves, as with Trump and his Trump cult, is not how the White House or our government work. That’s the road to authoritarianism in the demise of democracy and the loss of any version of the people’s voice in our government. I mention this because if we ended up with a Republican POTUS again, especially in 2024, as long as it’s not somebody like Trump or Vivek, who is a Trump sycophant. Or worse Trump, his own first criminal, vile self. If that elected Republican allows himself to be molded into the office and doesn’t just stick only to their desires and beliefs and agenda as a drug, as it is for the current Republican authoritarian electorate, then we have a chance as a country. If however, we just get another Trump moron, well, then we’re fucked.
So if a republican, other than Trump or Vivek, gets elected, I’m not gonna panic right away. It depends on if they evolve into a POTUS or just another authoritarian jackal, relying on toxic capitalism and their own desires of self aggrandizement and wealth building.
Podcast: Vivek wants to make a deal with Putin to take part of Ukraine and make a deal to separate his military from China, and so on. Which presumes the Putin is a rational actor in such dealings when he is not. He is very rational, but in a toxic capitalistic, toxic East Orthodox Christian, corporate thinking way, to win at all costs regardless of what damage it does to anyone. Much like the Republican Party now. Win at all costs. It’s just not the answer. Not to mention that puts American in imperialistic position with another imperialistic country, Russia. Where we’re making deals with them about a third-party country we have no business making deals for. We have got to stop this agro bullshit around the world. Like China, moving into international ocean waters and claiming it for themselves. And so on.
Podcast is over so I switched to The Whistleblowers. Episode, The Call is Coming From Inside the White House. Actually, it’s the screams coming from inside the Republican Party and America, in that we cannot allow another Trump type as POTUS ever again. And that’s what this podcast is about. Two people who worked under Trump and finally couldn’t take what a criminal he was anymore, especially after Trump’s insurrection.
The Podcast is hosted by former DHS official turned anonymous whistleblower and “Blowback” author Miles Taylor the guy who was that Anonymous character inside the Trump White House. He hosts, White House communications director Stephanie Grisham and congressman Denver Riggleman were once darlings of the GOP
What is the problem with authoritarianism in “strongmen“, they can get things done on the turn of a dime. In government that’s always dangerous. People don't get that. I didn't get that years ago until it was explained to me.
While at times you need to act instantly as with natural disasters. Overall, the government needs to think things out. Carefully, completely, then evoke change. Review, revise, re-evoke. While non-authoritarian leaders and democracy is slower and messier, it’s that way for a reason. So more voices are heard and enabled and less bullshit is and less criminals are. While with criminal authoritarian types like Trump, it feels good to his electorate. Once in office, they were vastly dangerous to the nation, the government, our Covid response, information, actual information, correct information, updating as better comes out, dissemination to the public, and our democracy. and our citizenry.
Here’s the thing about democracy and why Republicans want to kill it. You speak up about what you like and don’t like and you vote for it and you may be protest for, or about it, or whatever. But you don’t overtake the government to force your beliefs into everyone else, especially when you’re minority, especially when you’re a toxic minority. OK MAGA?
Let me say this again, politicizing a pandemic is a level of idiocy that's unquantifiable
I'd just like to mention something about GPS. I’ve always been a power user on computers, a first adopter. I would learn software without the manuals, because I could acquire it for free. Back when I was poor, trying to break into IT work. Let’s not talk about that… And Paypal, I was one of the first adopters, as soon as I heard about it. Online banking, I’ve been doing that since I had my USAF check electronically transferred to my USAF credit union in the late 70s. Many feared the technology. When one time, no one got their paycheck on time, and it took a while because they all had it mailed to them, mine was in on time as usual. So I used GPS the first opportunity that came to me and it was more of a nightmare typically than not using it. Today, occasionally it goes wrong, but I’m finding that most of the time when I disagree with it, I’m wrong. And I’m happy to be, because that means it's far more functional.
Stephanie in the podcast nails it about what is the deal with Trump? Her attraction, as she says, wasn’t Trump as much as the audience who were really into things that Trump was doing. She found that intoxicating, apparently. And that’s the thing, because if MAGA looks at Trump, any human being would have to find him disgusting. But when you look at the element of FUN they are having because of him, that’s a whole other cult joy unto itself.
As she notes in the podcast, a very good podcast by the way, at some point she realized that the Trump campaign was a movement and he was going to win in 2016. I think I would say it was much like Bernie. What’s the difference between the two and why did Trump win? Because Bernie evokes the best of us and the best in us. While Trump evokes our dark side that never gets purchase or daylight, and as always, society pushes it down. But he releases that demon because he wants the freedom to be a criminal. And so he won. And that is his attraction. Foul as it is.
“Magical thinking was just the norm in this White House” referring to the Trump administration.
On why the stopped press briefings in the Trump administration. “Because he’s the most accessible president in history.“ Stepping back from that comment and looking at it rationally with a critical eye, it was because Trump's a narcissist, plain and simple... and a psychopath at that.
Reports by people who have been with Trump make him sound bipolar. But I don’t see how he could be that, because we’ve seen him so often that he would’ve been completely manic at some point. But it is very narcissistic, that way he is. My ex-wife was like that. We had an argument one time when I said that the world, life is shades of gray. She said, No, it’s not. It’s black and white. Which points out her binary thinking. I started to play chess in maybe sixth grade. I had to learn to think moves ahead. She had trouble with that, as narcissists do. (No, WE generally believe she's a narcissist, this isn't just an ex-husband's view, we've had 2 decades to evaluate, compare notes and discuss). They can only think in conditions of themselves. They play act, confusing you, to adjust you to supply them with what they want. But when it comes to the bigger picture, they get lost and angry. They’re either extremely happy to manipulate you into maintaining doing what they want from you or they're extremely angry with you to chastise you for not doing or being what they want, or need from you. At some point I realized I was living in hell. With our two kids. And Stephanie on the podcast, describes something similar in working closely with Trump. It's the Id, controlled, but running things.
Yay, I finished 5 miles for the day, that’s two walks in a row within three days after like a month or more, a couple months where I had a lot of no walking at all or very little. Ankle is holding up good now too, it’s just sore. Sweet.
Cheers! Sláinte!
Here’s the thing about democracy and why Republicans want to kill it. You speak up about what you like and don’t like and you vote for it and you may be protest for, or about it, or whatever. But you don’t overtake the government to force your beliefs into everyone else, especially when you’re minority, especially when you’re a toxic minority. OK MAGA?
Let me say this again, politicizing a pandemic is a level of idiocy that's unquantifiable
I'd just like to mention something about GPS. I’ve always been a power user on computers, a first adopter. I would learn software without the manuals, because I could acquire it for free. Back when I was poor, trying to break into IT work. Let’s not talk about that… And Paypal, I was one of the first adopters, as soon as I heard about it. Online banking, I’ve been doing that since I had my USAF check electronically transferred to my USAF credit union in the late 70s. Many feared the technology. When one time, no one got their paycheck on time, and it took a while because they all had it mailed to them, mine was in on time as usual. So I used GPS the first opportunity that came to me and it was more of a nightmare typically than not using it. Today, occasionally it goes wrong, but I’m finding that most of the time when I disagree with it, I’m wrong. And I’m happy to be, because that means it's far more functional.
Stephanie in the podcast nails it about what is the deal with Trump? Her attraction, as she says, wasn’t Trump as much as the audience who were really into things that Trump was doing. She found that intoxicating, apparently. And that’s the thing, because if MAGA looks at Trump, any human being would have to find him disgusting. But when you look at the element of FUN they are having because of him, that’s a whole other cult joy unto itself.
As she notes in the podcast, a very good podcast by the way, at some point she realized that the Trump campaign was a movement and he was going to win in 2016. I think I would say it was much like Bernie. What’s the difference between the two and why did Trump win? Because Bernie evokes the best of us and the best in us. While Trump evokes our dark side that never gets purchase or daylight, and as always, society pushes it down. But he releases that demon because he wants the freedom to be a criminal. And so he won. And that is his attraction. Foul as it is.
“Magical thinking was just the norm in this White House” referring to the Trump administration.
On why the stopped press briefings in the Trump administration. “Because he’s the most accessible president in history.“ Stepping back from that comment and looking at it rationally with a critical eye, it was because Trump's a narcissist, plain and simple... and a psychopath at that.
Reports by people who have been with Trump make him sound bipolar. But I don’t see how he could be that, because we’ve seen him so often that he would’ve been completely manic at some point. But it is very narcissistic, that way he is. My ex-wife was like that. We had an argument one time when I said that the world, life is shades of gray. She said, No, it’s not. It’s black and white. Which points out her binary thinking. I started to play chess in maybe sixth grade. I had to learn to think moves ahead. She had trouble with that, as narcissists do. (No, WE generally believe she's a narcissist, this isn't just an ex-husband's view, we've had 2 decades to evaluate, compare notes and discuss). They can only think in conditions of themselves. They play act, confusing you, to adjust you to supply them with what they want. But when it comes to the bigger picture, they get lost and angry. They’re either extremely happy to manipulate you into maintaining doing what they want from you or they're extremely angry with you to chastise you for not doing or being what they want, or need from you. At some point I realized I was living in hell. With our two kids. And Stephanie on the podcast, describes something similar in working closely with Trump. It's the Id, controlled, but running things.
Yay, I finished 5 miles for the day, that’s two walks in a row within three days after like a month or more, a couple months where I had a lot of no walking at all or very little. Ankle is holding up good now too, it’s just sore. Sweet.
Cheers! Sláinte!
