Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the George Washington of Ukraine and one of the most heroic men alive. He sat through a shouted (televised) lecture by two of the _worst_ men alive. A real-life horror film.
They tried to bully him into bending the knee, but this is not a guy who runs from a tyrant, but will instead stand his ground and resist.
Pathetic. Shameful. Cowardly. Disgusting. Trump and JD Vance showed the world they will enthusiastically reward the aggression of dictators and don’t think freedom is worth fighting for.
The truly mind-blowing bit is that Trump and Vance wanted Zelensky to thank them for an aid package that Vance voted against and Trump opposed. Meanwhile Zelensky has thanked the American people many many times. The key trigger point came with the pushback question to Vance that revealed that Vance is literally full of shit and utterly clueless.
It is also a story that has a bit of history behind it. It was 2019 when Zelensky refused Trump’s illegal demand that he investigate Joe Biden.
After the ambush was over, this the the stance Trump took – disrespecting the United States in the Oval office. He was right in the sense that what happened in that meeting was insulting to the US and the Oval Office, he is just wrong about the identity of the disrespectful party.
Who was the actual audience, not the mainstream press, many of them are banned for telling the truth, but the Russian State media was invited in …
This was political theatre, a setup, an ambush designed to hand over Ukraine to Putin for him to add to his empire. Meanwhile Trump has his eye on Panama, Canada and Greenland for his empire ambitions.
So anyway, here is where things now stand for Ukraine (via Chris Britt) …
This is the message that has now been sent …
Here is more from the Ukrainian viewpoint …
For anybody now worried, then fear not. We are going to patch things up with the rest of the world next week when we slap massive tariffs on them because Trump said America was much richer in 1880 when we had high tariffs. Everyone will want do business with the US, buy our stuff, and come here on vacation … right?
Has any other crazy stuff happened during the past week?
As I mentioned last week, “utter lunacy blended with raw stupidity” is now BAU.
Consequences of Crass Stupidity
Well duh! … and it has taken them this long to work it out …
- Now the NYT just needs to come to terms with the fact that they helped to elect him. Where was NYT in 2024? – bashing Biden, bashing Harris, bashing Democrats, while sane-washing the tyrant and his sycophants.
- It also is not just a rogue president, It is an entire rogue party.
Measles is now back, and with RFK Jnr, it can only get far far worse …
- Tragically, one of the hospitalized measles patients, a child in Texas, died this past week.
- Measles was pretty much unheard of for many years until idiots stopped vaccinating their kids and so here we are.
No flu shots for next season …
- The Trump admin is now openly attempting to kill off a major demographic of their voting block.
Running low on air traffic controllers …
- In response to Elon’s appeal, I’m sure folks are just going to rush in to work for a government that might rug pull your whole life on a random Tuesday night ketamine bender.
- Controllers are aged out on purpose, which is why they need a solid pipeline of new controllers. You have to start training before 31, and retire at 56. This is due to the potential of mental decline in a job that requires a lot of mental capacity. There really isn’t a “come out of retirement” option on this one.
- I want to know what the cutover date is so I can be sure NOT to be in the air then. I do not want to be his test case.
- Verizon needs to sue for breach of contract and to address impacts to stock value resulting from the cancellation and fraudulent claims.
- Side note: Yes Elon is being a clueless idiot, Verizon’s contract hasn’t even started. It’s a totally different company that’s been running it.
- Oh and let’s not forget the thing he left out – the monthly service for each is thousands. He did this same crap during the flooding. Charging people $400 a month for monthly service that lost everything.
“God has a plan for those that got fired” does not go all that well as a message …
- Quote: “there is no good defense for firing thousands upon thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to doing thankless jobs, then rehiring many of them back due to backlash or realizing they were actually really important. It causes chaos and impedes the vital work these people do. Republican ignorance is not a valid defense for decimating government agencies.“
- When he made the statement the crowd quite rightly exploded into yelling and screaming at him. He then later blamed those attending for responding like this.
- I feel sorry for the kids whose parents are so fucking stupid they will let them die rather than vaccinate.
It really is not about efficiency, it never was …
- 18F statement is here.
- Message From Mark Cuban: “If you worked for 18F and got fired, Group together to start a consulting company. It’s just a matter of time before DOGE needs you to fix the mess they inevitably create. They will have to hire your company as a contractor to fix it. But on your terms. I’m happy to invest and/or help“
Canada
- Trump is rapidly morphing into a cautionary tale for the rest of the world – “Vote for Conservatives and this is what you will get“
House Ethics Rules only apply to Democrats
It’s always OK for Republicans to break house ethics rules …
Christian Nationalists
My favourite pastors with the very very very tiny …(innuendo underlined) … church, manages to consistently deliver utter lunacy every week. This past week his offering on our church plate was this – Antisemitic Christian nationalist pastors Andrew Isker and Joel Webbon say Jews are not entitled to a “seat at the table” in America because “this country belongs to Jesus.“
- Ever so tiny inconvenient theological point – Jesus was born Jewish and died as a fundmentalist Jew.
Pastor Paula White, director of the White House Faith Office, is “challenging you” to give her money so that God can bless you. You can give her “a sacrificial offering” of $133, $52, or $414.
- It’s always about the grifting. The only surprising thing about this is she’s not hawking a meme coin. She still prefers grifting in cash. For now.
- Like her Lord and Savour, Trump, she also has has a history of f**king people (not just metaphorically but sexually) she is not supposed to. Well gosh, blond, female, morally compromised, and willing to spread her legs, why oh why would Trump appoint her as his personal “spiritual” adviser, one that he is willing to spend time with?
- So are there people stupid enough to give her money? (Need we even answer that because we all know that there are plenty of Trump voters out there)
- Meanwhile they are cancelling Lutheran Social Service’s funding for services to the elderly and counseling for abused children for (checks notes) *fraud*. The word “Hypocrites” does not even begin to describe it.
- Meanwhile via the Christian Run Roys report that flags up religious corruption, other grifters are upset that she got picked – (Feb 24) Trump’s Pick To Run White House Faith Office Sparks Theological Turf War
Andrew Isker asserts that the practice of slavery in America was not a sin: “I’m not going to call something a sin that the Bible does not condemn as a sin.“
- He is actually correct in the sense that the Bible is actually a pro-slavery book from cover to cover. While most are far better than that now and can rise above that, Mr Isker apparently can’t.
- Literally anybody can play this stupid game – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the rest of the Founding Fathers would agree that The Ford Edsel is one of the greatest cars ever made.
- Or how about like this …
- The Leviathan in the Book of Job is a reflection of the older Canaanite Lotan, a primeval monster defeated by the god Baal Hadad. In other words, this myth he is using to grift with is itself an older myth that was recycled and repurposed by the author of Book of Job.
- Here is an article of interest from May 2024 – Salon : Cracking the Christian nationalist code: A glossary for the confused
- From the Glossary in the above deep dive: “Demonization: Portraying a person or group as malevolent, sinful or evil, perhaps even in league with Satan, as a potential pretext for discrimination and violence. The NAR and those influenced by it believe that actual demons influence earthly events. Religious conservatives who deny that Republicans have courted white supremacist support and who view abortion as profoundly evil, for example, have explained Black support for Democrats as resulting from the influence of the demon Jezebel.“
It’s not paranoia when you realise that they really are out to get you …
- I’d place good money on a bet on what you would find if you checked his hard drive.
- Media on Feb 26: This is how you push back: “When Schriver refused to take questions at his own news conference detailing the resolution in Lansing, Jeremy Moss – Michigan’s first openly gay state senator – stepped up to speak to journalists instead. The resolution is “buffoonish” and clearly falls flat with the people of Michigan who support the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that ensured the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry..”
Grifter Sean Feucht is teaming up with sexual assaulter and fraudster Russell Brand, for a “mass baptism revival event in Florida in May.“
- Check out Brand’s Wikipedia page to discover that he is a well-known “sexual predator” with a rather long list of very credible accusers.
- Brand has just been sued for sexual assault in the High Court in London on Fen 6 this year, just a few weeks ago.
- I was also writing last Dec about a very blatant con, it’s a totally fake product you can buy on Amazon, and Brand is also paid to promote.
- As for Feucht, there is a great deal that is deeply dubious about his use of religion as well. For example I was writing roughly a year about how he faked the conversion of a homeless guy simply to create a bit of performative religion. The homeless guy was later tossed back out on the street.
The False Profit$
Self-appointed “prophet” and convicted fraudster Shane Vaughn cheers on the chaos being sown by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk because “we voted for chaos.”
- It tracks that a convicted fraudster like Shane Vaughn would indeed be in the Felon’s fan club.
- Translation: Religious grifter supports political grifter. We have seen charismatic religious fraudsters like this before. Those wise enough to see through the charade will remember how this story ends for those that followed men like David Koresh or Jim Jones.
- What Hank is going for here is a resurrection of the “Divine Right of Kings“, as in “If you oppose Trump, then you oppose God“. It is all very blatant manipulation.
- If we were living in the time when Moses was around, then you can be damn sure that Hank would be the guy promoting Pharaoh.
Weirdest of the Weird
Andrew Isker reiterates his view that “America belongs to Jesus Christ.“
- “My Kingdom is not of this world” … same guy that supposedly owns the US according to Mr Isker.
- “it’s not that big of a deal” say the people overthrowing our democracy because they can’t get over it.
- If I’ve learned anything from modern conservatives, it’s that I’m using the bathroom WAY differently than they are… mfers are obsessed.
- WTF are “white spaces”? Like a Ted Nugent concert? Pretty sure only very white people are interested, so they should be good.
Joshua Haymes proclaims it “indefensible” for any Christian to believe that “gay couples should have the right to adopt children”: “We should be looking to BOTH legislate and stigmatize this wickedness into oblivion.”
- The ONLY “wickedness” in play here is his bigotry.
- It is also worth noting that it is a very fascist play to attempt to impose your bigotry on everybody by force.
Political Cartoons from the past week
As always, there are many excellent cartoons. Here are a few samples. Each comes with a link to the cartoonist putting the cartoon out via BlueSky. If you are on Bluesky then you can use the link to follow them.
Media Sanewashing of Tyranny
Getting the access they wanted …
- They went with “If we don’t make him mad he won’t hurt us” and it didn’t work
Bezos created an opportunity for other outlets …
This … is what was considered an appropriate question!!! …
- When the war began he said he would not wear a suit until it was over and Ukraine was the winner. Everyone with half a brain knows this if they are paying attention! Clearly, they are being disrespectful of the greatest leader in the current world.
- Side Note: Yes that was indeed MTG’s current boyfriend pitching that utterly bizarre question.
How not to Resist
- Weird that none of Elon’s billions in contracts or subsidies were “accidentally” cancelled.
This is how to resist
Appendix of wackiness
Apparently all these elected women look the same to Fox News …
- Fox News can’t tell the difference because they are not looking at the faces.
Even the Onion now considers Democratic inaction to be worthy of satire … (sigh!) …
- If you are wondering why so much inaction then here it is – There is a school of thought that suggests that the only way to disable the fascist movement is to stop shielding MAGA voters from the consequences of their actions. In other words let them have everything they voted for.
- The problem with that is that our recent experience with Covid19 suggests that increased pain and suffering appears to convert more voters into reactionary right wing voters, and even appears to motivate non-voters into joining the reactionary populist neofascist movement
- Why is “letting them have what they voted for” ineffective? It’s because the GOP/MAGA is growing in the fertile soil of an end-times religious cult. Via Pew, 4 out of 10 Americans believe we’re now living in the biblical end times (even if they don’t actually agree on what that means).
- What is unfolding is a Christian Nationalist agenda, and yes, it really is a cult.
Correct definitions for 2025 …
Philanthropist opposition …
- Who knew that Team “Unnecessary Pain, Death, and Suffering“, had such a huge backing?
- I feel like of all the things Gates has done in his life, good and bad, the one that he has to have imagined he would have faced the *least* opposition on was “keep the poorest people in the world from suffering a slow, painful death“, and yet here we are.
Cutting the Pentagon so that it ends up not having 5 sides but becomes a shape with 3 sides is causing some confusion. So what the hell is that shape with three sides, does anybody know, because Tuberville needs some help finding it …
- The next Bond’s biggest enemy: bathroom breaks
Then again, it can also be argued that the Bond franchise already has a Bezos in both looks and aura:
Bonus Item – There is Hope
Robert Reich has a new list – 10 more reasons for modest optimism – and that list includes these …
- Trump’s approval ratings continue to plummet.
- DOGE is running amusk.
- Tesla is in deep sh*t.
- The oligarchy has never been more exposed.
- People are rising against corporate power.
- As Trump and Musk trade Social Security and Medicaid for big tax cuts for the rich, Americans will go ballistic.
- Democracies are joining together, minus Trump’s America.
- Negative economic consequences of the Trump-Musk blunderbuss are beginning to appear.
- Elections are looking brighter.
- Adding it all up – America is waking up, and it doesn’t like what it’s seeing in Trump and Musk.
Here is his full substack posting that covers each of the above in more detail and explains why there really is now some optimism in play.
Also, FWIW, some are now seeing a bit more clearly …
- You don’t have to embrace them, but we can still encourage their waking up. Peeling off working class MAGA is critical and Ukraine and Medicaid are two key wedges for doing so.
- She admitted she made a mistake. 75 million voters made that same mistake. We need those voters. Let’s welcome them and thank them for their change of heart.