Saturday afternoon: Putin’s ‘special operation’ divides Russian families, India spreads its wings as a global menace, Hungary’s Orban stands for re-election, and AG Garland faces scrutiny for the pace of January 6 investigations

Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

‘Our mothers have been zombified by propaganda, I am not discussing anything with my mother.’ - Putin’s war of aggression is tearing Russian families apart. I’m now of the firm conclusion that it is best to not discuss current affairs and politics with family members, which I should have practiced all along. The devotion to Vladimir Putin by the majority of Russia’s people is a wake-up call to us: While it is vital for the masses to overthrow the dictator, they are not going to. The Russian people are tired, having been bullied and gaslit for too long, and they are more fearful of us - the West - than anything else. Some of this also, no doubt, has to do with age-old prejudices or grievances with the Ukrainians that many Russians possess, and also nostalgia for the Soviet Union. Therefore, Putin was certain he had built-in cover to sell the ‘special operation’ to his subjects, and he was correct in that calculation. (Daily Beast 4/01)

The Kremlin gives praise to India’s government for not judging the ‘special operation’ in ‘a one-sided way’ - I keep saying that India is right on the cusp of being a major global menace, and they are showing their true stripes at this critical moment. Only a mutual animosity with China is preventing the official formation of a new Axis of Evil with Russia. (BBC News 4/01)

Ferenc Isza/AFP/Getty Images

Hungary’s Viktor Orban stands for reelection - With the eyes of the world on neighboring Ukraine, the nationalist populist Orban is manipulating laws, shutting down media outlets, and legalizing something called ‘voter tourism.’ Which is allowing foreigners to come into Hungarian villages for a day, cast their vote for Orban, and then go home. Hungarian citizens without a permanent residence in Hungary may also use mail-in ballots, a right not afforded to Hungarian citizens living within its borders. Isn’t this all essentially what the GOP is always accusing Democrats of doing, allowing illegal aliens to vote in our elections and screaming that mail-in voting is illegitimate? Yet it is American Republicans and ‘conservatives’ who have fallen in love with this Orban character. Any and all principles will be violated when there are votes and dollars to be had. (New York Times 3/31)

House January 6 Commission puts the screws to reticent AG Merrick Garland - Frustration with the snail’s pace at which these investigations are unfolding is felt. As this article notes, however, this is ‘the largest criminal prosecution in the [DOJ] history.’ I’d prefer that members of the commission would address their concerns privately, instead of publicly grandstanding. Hard to expect any politician to refrain from grandstanding about anything, I know, but this is serious business. Justice is slow in coming, but it is coming. Realize - as Merrick Garland does - that when justice is served as it must be, millions of nationalist populists will be livid and will turn to (further) violence. These folks have already been foaming at the mouth since the pandemic began, and the election outcome and subsequent events are now driving them over the edge. The rhetoric from that side is becoming scary and law enforcement needs to prepare. I’m not going to put any pressure on the DOJ, because they’re bracing themselves for what is to come and preparing for the fallout. (AP 4/01)

Copyright 2022, Sunking278. Stay up-to-date: Twitter – @Sunking278 and Facebook – click here. DONATIONS - click here.