Stop the Idiocracy: Bucha

Showing posts with label Bucha. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Putin and Lukashenko brazenly accuse British intelligence of the massacre in Bucha, and more thoughts on Putin apparently sticking with Trump to neuter the United States

Valeria Ferraro/ZUMA Press Wire/ТАСС

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, with Putin standing right beside him and fully approving, declares that British operatives were responsible for the massacre in Bucha - An obviously absurd allegation that is beyond the pale, but I suppose no less absurd than anything else their propagandists have already devised. Putin has a rabid audience of fans in the West who willingly spread every lie and distortion the troll farms in St. Petersburg and Moscow put out - and during this crisis are especially eager to engage in victim-blaming - why wouldn’t they lie about Bucha, and why wouldn’t they scapegoat the British? Tell any conspiracy theorist the British are responsible for any given crime or atrocity, and they immediately buy into it. A central, long-held tenet of most corners of the conspiracy industry is essentially that the British Empire never really went away, and British banks and interests control the planet. In league with the Jews, or something like that. Putin and Lukashenko are blatantly gaslighting everyone into believing an obvious lie, and they do it because it works. The most evil form of bullying there is, and Putin is getting away with it, just as he did with his lies about Syria, Georgia, Venezuela, the situation in his own country, Belarus, and everywhere else he has gotten his bloody hands on. (CNBC 4/12)

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor visits Bucha and declares ‘Ukraine is a crime scene’ (AFP 4/13)

Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images

Interesting that the Russians have certainly vetted any and all potential GOP candidates in 2024, and found them wanting as Putin appears to be adamant that Trump remains the only option (see my previous post - ‘Putin and the Moscow Establishment begins making move to restore Trump in 2024.’) Trump, or the Democrat, Tulsi Gabbard, the firm number two favorite of the Russians and the one they will line up behind if Trump does not or just cannot run again; understanding that her electability at the present time is almost zilch, but they will work hard to change that if need be. The Republicans may very well win control of Congress this year, but their long-term future is not bright if Trump remains the only viable choice to lead the party. That is, not without Mother Russia’s help, at least.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Pink Floyd returns to help Ukraine, Russia is suspended from UN Human Rights Council, more proof emerges that Russian soldiers are deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians for extermination, and more

Sarah Lee/The Guardian

David Gilmour shares his motivation for reconvening Pink Floyd to support Ukraine - Something of a miracle. Pink Floyd - that is, David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with Guy Pratt on bass, Nitin Sawhney on keyboards, and Ukrainian vocalist Andriy Khlyvnyuk - is back with a new song, entitled ‘Hey Hey Rise Up.’ Interesting tidbit in this article about Roger Waters, who is most definitely not involved. Rarely have I ever felt more proud of one of my absolute favorite musical acts than I am of Pink Floyd today - David Gilmour and Nick Mason; Richard Wright having left us nearly fourteen years, and Roger Waters is absent and so be it. Rarely have I ever felt so fortunate that any given group of musicians exist in this world, and have made our world a slightly less miserable place with their music and vision. I believe those of you who have been with me for some years now on this social media thing know that I am not given to excessive praise, and when I do engage in such that it is well warranted and compulsory that given individuals or group of individuals be acknowledged. As far as I'm concerned, Pink Floyd is not just another rock band, they are life itself. (The Guardian 4/07)

Russia suspended from UN Human Rights Council - Only the second country ever to have been stripped of its membership on the panel. The last country on earth who should have anything to say about human rights in any country when, throughout history and presently, they have rarely respected the rights of their own citizens. (AP 4/07)

‘Radio transmissions in which Russian soldiers appear to talk among themselves about carrying out premeditated civilian killings in Ukraine have been intercepted by Germany’s foreign intelligence service.’ (The Guardian 4/07)

FLASHBACK 2017: A reader on my page (@Sunking278) posted this Reuters article from five years ago, revealing that Trump gave away U.S. intelligence secrets in a White House meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. at the time, Sergei Kislyak. (Reuters 5/15/17)

Wow, the gall of the above tweet. I guarantee that Marjorie Traitor Greene and every single one of her fans will not hesitate to commit mass violence against the 'violent left' (a/k/a, anyone to the left of Attila the Hun) when they get the chance. Keep voting GOP, #Murica, and they'll get that chance.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

President Biden places fresh sanctions on Putin and associates, Zelenskyy challenges the UN to practice what they preach, COVID-19 rages on in one of the world’s very largest cities, and more

Felipe Dana/AP

Russian media campaign dismisses Bucha deaths as fakes - Stunning cruelty. To commit genocidal actions toward an entire population, and afterward to insist they were not at fault and the Ukrainians are staging the scenes of horror. More cruel still that so many around the world are so eager to buy Russia’s lies, to blame the victims, and to convince themselves that somehow Putin is on a crusade from on high. (AP 4/06)

AFP fact check: No, the discovery of bodies in Ukraine’s Bucha was not ‘staged’ with actors

Following the atrocities committed in Bucha and across Ukraine, President Biden announces new sanctions on Russian interests - Including against banks, Putin’s daughters, and even Sergei Lavrov’s family. (AP 4/06)

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Zelenskyy calls for the UN Security Commission to remove Russia, or else it should dissolve - Absurd that predators like Russia and China are making decisions about war and peace on the global stage. The whole arrangement has never made sense, and especially not now. President Zelenskyy, in his address to the Security Commission, demonstrated clearly that he is not only determined to win the war, but also to win the peace. (NPR 4/05)

Alexei Navalny thread concerning the Russian media’s complicity in the assault on Ukraine

Aly Song/Reuters

COVID lockdown extended indefinitely in Shanghai, a city of 26 million people - Basic services are not being met, food is running low, and panic is in the air. The world is going to be stuck in this vicious cycle with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future. (Reuters 4/06)

Rest in Peace, Bobby Rydell - Singer who achieved fame as a teenager in the 1950s and early 1960s dies at 79. (New York Times 4/05)

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Proof of Russian atrocities - genocide - continue to proliferate, strongman Orban is reelected in Hungary, thoughts on new CDC data on the societal impact of COVID lockdowns, and more

EPA/Atef Safadi

This Twitter thread by ABC News reporter James Longman on the war crimes in Bucha is a hard read, but a painfully necessary one. The Russian soldiers are psychopathic brutes, and they are conditioned that way purposefully. They have been this way for centuries, and they are going to keep raping, pillaging, and killing until they are stopped.

‘The skill and bravery of Ukrainian gunners is obvious. But those dramatic videos also hint at Ukraine’s integration and deployment of two key technologies—laser-guided artillery shells and laser-equipped drones’ (Forbes 4/05)

The Kremlin

Putin hails populist authoritarian Viktor Orban’s re-election in Hungary - Viktor Orban has yet to become a serious menace, just a minor one; he has allowed Ukrainian refugees to cross into Hungary, he did join in on certain sanctions against Russia, and he has not attempted to invade any of his neighbors. He is an insufferable religious zealot and overbearingly paternalistic in everything he does. Let us consider that Vladimir Putin himself spent years cultivating a certain, grudging kind of respectability about him before he put the knife in Ukraine’s back. Orban is following the same playbook, and in time he will become dangerous, as opposed to merely a thorn in everyone’s side. (BBC News 4/04)

Direct TV drops One America News network - When is my cable provider (Verizon Fios) going to follow suit? Russian propaganda and lies do not have any place in our society. (Bloomberg 4/04)

The FBI is spending millions on social media tracking software - Of course, free speech absolutists like the ACLU are whining, as are nationalist populists like Rep. Jim Jordan, who zealously guard their free speech but seek to silence everyone else. Social media is full of disinformation - the vast majority of it emanating from Russia - and millions not only willingly parroting said disinfo, but actually believing it. The FBI’s plan doesn’t go nearly far enough in cleaning up this cesspool. (Washington Post 4/05)

Thinkstock

CDC data highlights COVID-19's toll on student mental health; 55% of kids claim to have experienced abuse from parents and guardians - Covidiots hate the CDC, but they are also eagerly pointing to this CDC study saying that COVID protocol had an adverse effect on kids. Obviously, and anyone half a brain knew going in that was going to be the case. Pretty certain yours truly said that would happen. So eager to say ‘told you so’ are they, but guess what? These are kids we are speaking of, and they’ll get over whatever ‘trauma’ they were put through because they couldn’t go to a school for awhile, and they had to wear masks, and eventually get vaccinated. Nearly one million Americans are dead now, but I shudder to think how much worse it could have been if these measures had not been undertaken. I seem to vaguely recall somebody somewhere estimating that upwards of five million would have died if measures were not enacted to stop the spread. You want to know where children actually are being abused? In Ukraine, where they are being raped, abducted, and killed by Russian soldiers. So excuse me if I don’t feel much sympathy for little American boys and girls acting out because those mean grown-ups made them wear a mask in public, and their stressed-out mothers and fathers might snap on them from time-to-time. A degree - and only to an acceptable degree, of course - of emotional and even physical pain is an inevitable and unavoidable part of growing up. The trauma I was put through as a kid, primarily by my peers, forever shaped my worldview and rather low opinion of people in general. What is being done to the kids of Ukraine is unforgivable, real abuse of the highest order. Spoiled American kids having to follow, along with everybody else, basic protocol in the midst of the deadly pandemic in over a century pales in comparison. This ought to provide some perspective for those who have spent the last two years shouting their mouths off to anyone who would listen about what a supposed grave violation of human rights these health and safety measures were. But it won’t, for the nationalist populists are only becoming more unhinged in their words and actions. No sympathy here for the spoiled little brats, or the far-right individuals and factions using them as a political talking point. (K-12 Dive 4/01)

Germany continues to prove it is the leader of the free world, while the horrors of the Bucha massacre have yet to settle in; also, a call for Tucker Carlson to move to Russia

Heidi Levine/Washington Post

If the greatest people on earth, the Germans, could have fallen victim to madness as they did in the Nazi era, then any nation or people can and will do so. And Germany – yes, I am biased, being so overwhelmingly but not exclusively of Germanic blood – redeemed itself like no nation has ever done in all of history. America, warts and hypocrites all, once embodied fairness and humanity better than any other nation the world had ever seen. No longer. Not even by a long shot. We have no idea how far we have fallen, ever since 9/11. The ones who secured all of this prosperity for us are mostly gone now. Russia has been mostly terrible since day one, with only tiny weapons of opportunity for change. Ukraine now fights the battle for mankind, and I make no bones and have no shame in saying I am a massive fan. I support them, from afar, by drawing awareness to their cause, day and night. I praise God for this wonderful Internet to be able to reach people and undertake this duty. Such a thing was never imaginable to me as a child back in ancient, literal Soviet times when I was merely a lad. #StopPutin #StandWithUkraine Слава Україні

Germany expels Russian diplomats following the Bucha massacre - Once again, proving themselves to be the most responsible nation on earth. (Deutsche Welle 4/04)

WARNING: Graphic imagery, but don’t turn away. The massacre at Bucha in pictures - Do not allow the world to ever forget what happened here. Never allow anyone to say this isn’t genocide. Genocide. And the same sort of people who continue to deny the Holocaust are the ones saying the war in Ukraine is being fabricated. You know, so 'they' can gain 'control' over us. (Washington Post 4/03)

Satellite images show dead bodies lying in the streets of Bucha for weeks, rebutting Moscow’s claims - The lies and propaganda are only going to become more audacious and bold, and those wanting to believe their lies will double down. But the evidence is there for those who are brave enough to see the truth. It is genocide. (AFP 4/04)

President Biden says ‘you saw what happened in Bucha, declares Putin a war criminal and calls for evidence to be gathered - That's right, we all saw the massacre in Bucha. Except those choosing not to see, or choosing to see something other than what it is (vintage Russian barbarism.) Thank you, Mr. President, for not appeasing this brutal dictator as #Murica seems to believe you should do. (Sky News 4/04)

Seriously, can we please all move on from this juvenile idea of everything being 'staged?' Can everybody stop pretending they're so enlightened and are saving humanity because they're a sucker for every conspiracy theory and piece of Russian disinfo they come across? I've so had it with this crap. Tucker Carlson, move to Russia if you love it so much. I say to all those 'just asking questions' while giving implicit approval to Putin, go live under him if he's such a great hero of mankind. They can’t even stop attacking everything around them for a few moments to acknowledge there is a genocide unfolding in Europe. Can’t believe how disheartened and angry I am with these people. Any excuse to hate, and usually done so in the name of God. God help us. Real men don't turn to Fascism, real men do not see suffering and point the finger at the oppressed, real men do not hide behind tyrannical murderers like Putin or shameless conmen like Trump. Real men do not start fights, they end them. Go, and leave the rest of us alone with your populist, nation-destroying, tinfoil-hat-wearing gaga.

I find value in watching foreign language TV news. Especially Ukraine 24, of late. Always, even with the language barrier, I come away with a better understanding. For Ukraine, I understand they are the toughest, most Cossack people. A stunning contrast to their cousins in Russia. Ukrainian women are also incredibly beautiful, but I digress.

Ukrainian refugee Olga Reznikova brings us into her new life in Denmark - Another of my ancestral homelands, and in recent vintage at that. My paternal great-grandmother, who died when my grandmother was very young, and her family emigrated from Copenhagen. In fact, yours truly met the woman’s brother as a very young child. Circa 1982, our Great Uncle Julius (well into his 90s by then) stayed with my family a night or two, and he was a great man who helped provide for my father’s family while he was growing up just outside of Newark, NJ. When I see nations such as Denmark and Germany stepping up to help these people, it just makes me all the more proud of my Germanic heritage. Olga’s channel is well worth subscribing to, and I’m rooting for her. (Also check out her recently posted video entitled ‘Russian propaganda tricks you don’t know about.’)

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Ukrainian forces retake areas around Kyiv from Russian invaders, but horrific massacres of citizens in the village of Bucha are revealed, and Zelenskyy warns that retreating Russians may have booby-trapped dead bodies with explosives

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Washington Post - Russian forces pull back from Kyiv, exposing horrors of war

Call the ‘special operation’ for exactly what it is: Deliberate and purposeful genocide of the Ukrainian people. The free world will not soon forget these atrocities, and Putin will be brought to justice. Dead or alive. The question is, will it be the Russian people who overthrow the tyrant? Or will it be NATO forces? Or will the brave, valiant, and superior Ukrainian forces eventually push deep into Russian territory to capture and kill the dictator themselves? Option three may seem a flight of fancy, but do not place any bets against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for they are awesome. And they are out for Vlad’s blood. So of those three options, it is becoming clear that the best and most feasible one (coup in Moscow) is also the very least likely. Those Russians who are protesting and dissenting deserve praise and protection, but they are small in number. The majority of the Russian people are not only not going to lift a finger to stop Putin, but rather appear to be firmly standing by him. The Russian people, as a whole, are a lost cause and cannot be trusted. Rather like these grievance-filled losers making up the Vladimir Putin Fan Club in #Murica, but I digress: The future does not belong to dying empires, and the people in both will only grow colder at heart, more isolated, and poorer as the years go on. While nations like Ukraine rise and become vibrant and responsible bastions of freedom, opportunity, and security. Слава Україні