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Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Piss and Vinegar



 Symbols matter: a Kennedy or a Reagan at the Berlin Wall; a Churchill with a cigar and a bowler; for that matter a green-clad Zelensky growling, ‘I need ammunition, not a ride.’ Simply by taking the hazardous trip to Kyiv, Biden made a strategic move of cardinal importance.
Eliot Cohen, The Atlantic


Joe Biden went to Ukraine.

In the middle of a war. 

In the middle of a war waged by Russia.

And oh goddamn were both the Russians and Republicans mad about it. 

The symbolism of Biden's visit to war-torn Ukraine wasn't lost on the enemies of America. 

(Note: enemies, plural. Foreign and domestic. But I'll come back to that)

Vladimir Putin was damned unhappy about it. 

As well he should be. Because that was the intent. And there was a time when all of America would have cheered such a message. Up yours, Russia!

But that time is long gone. 

Be that as it may, Vladimir Putin is mad. 

You can tell from his speech this morning. 

It was the Moscow version of an American State of the Union Address. I could give you the Russian name of it, but you don't care and loosely translated its mostly just Putin's semi-annual They Hate Us Because They Ain't Us address. 

As such things go, it was a beauty. 

Putin gave the standard invader trope of how his war is really (mostly, sort of) about freeing Ukrainians from the tyranny of Kiev something something gazpacho oppression Nazis Western Powers and so on. No one really cares. Russians know it's bullshit. We know it's bullshit. Putin knows it's bullshit. Ukrainians for damn sure knows its bullshit. But, that's the official line Putin used to start the war and so he's got to ride that bomb all the way down like Slim Pickens a whoopin' and a hollerin' and waving his giant hat all the way to impact (or George Bush looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction, you pays your money and you takes your metaphor).

So, anyway, the Russians are just trying to help out the poor Ukrainians. Please clap. 

Meanwhile, official signs are going up around Moscow that say The Russian Border Ends Nowhere -- which is totally the thing you say when you're just trying to help your neighbors with their government and not rebuild the Russian Empire. 

Putin then launched into how the war is really about standing up to the West's unreasonable oppression of Russia. Also, he says, war is really good for Russia actually because Russian unemployment is down, the Russian economy is booming with making all the Russian war stuff, and also it allows for federalization of Russian business like in the good old days that every good Russian misses. 

Most important, Putin says, the war demonstrates to the world Russia's superior military might and power and enviable victories.  

Please clap.

I gotta tell you, it kind of made me nostalgic for those old Soviet speeches in Red Square. 

Stalin, Khrushchev, Andropov, you knew they were totally full of shit. I mean we knew they were full it, the Russian people knew they were full it, the Soviet Government knew they were full of it, but damn could those Old Guard Communists give a speech while the tanks and missile trucks rumbled by -- most of those machines barely able to finish the parade without breaking down, some actually being towed because they had crapped out before the ceremony even started. 

Putin finished up with a bit about mutual inspections under New START treaty and loudly rejected any access for US inspectors and you change a few names and boy does that sound like something you'd read on Truth Social.  

Anyway, looks like the extremists over there and over here got that new Cold War they've been wanting since the Berlin Wall came down. 

Speaking of extremism over there and over here:

That's sedition. 

From a sitting member of Congress, that's sedition. 

Of course, we apparently allow that sort of thing nowadays and it might even get you a choice committee assignment.  

And I told you we'd come back to enemies domestic and so we have. That's what you're looking at here. An enemy of America. Someone who wants to demolish the United States. Those are her words. 26,000,000 views, as of the time I took the screenshot. 

She might hate America as much, or more, than Putin. 

Greene is not alone in her sedition. Whenever Republicans don't get their way, and can't see any path to getting their way, they start talking about divorce and you don't have to look much further than Texans and their eternal threat of secession for an example. 

I don't suppose it's much of a surprise Greene, elected by people who continue to wave the Confederate flag 160 years after the South lost the Civil War, would suggest breaking up the Union. These people are nothing if not bereft of any new ideas. Just like their ancestors, MAGAs like Greene would rather burn the country to the ground, they would literally rather see America broken up, than live in peace and equality with the rest of us.

For them, life is always and forever a zero sum game. If others gets more, they always feel like they get less. If others are raised up, they always feel diminished. For them, freedom, justice, liberty, these are all measures of relative worth. For them, their perception of their own self worth is a measure of how much better they are than the people they despise. Equality is the single most horrifying concept they can imagine.

For those like Greene to be free, others must always be in chains. Always. 

And just like Vladimir Putin, and likely why they idolize him as a symbol of strength, Republicans of Greene's foul MAGA ilk are intolerant fanatics who are perfectly willing to kill all the rest of us over some manufactured outrage.

Greene, of course, is seen as the most likely candidate to be Trump's running mate in the coming election. That's right, she's angling to be Vice President of a country that she thinks should be broken up and a government that should be eliminated and if that isn't the very epitome of the MAGA mindset I don't know what is. 

Trump himself is on Truth Social this morning again carrying water for Putin. 

I'll spare you the Neville Chamberlain analogy and simply point out the staggering irony of presidential candidates, who themselves continue to engage in open insurrection, cheering on a reborn Russian Empire while at the same time suggesting the literal dismantling of the United States. 

And not only do Republicans see this as a legitimate political position, they consider it patriotism.

We live in dangerous times. 

And I suspect this is one of those moments in history where we are (again) on the very cusp of global madness and destruction. Time will certainly tell. We've stepped away from the brink in our past, though our history is one where we more often scream Geronimo and jump over the edge into the abyss a whoopin' and a hollerin' and waving our giant hats all the way down to violent impact. 

We live in dangerous times. 

But then we always do. 

I do see hope.

Because in this comparison, so long as we stand together, the fanatical dreams of MAGA Republicans like Greene and Trump are very likely as doomed to ultimate failure as is Vladimir Putin's hollow war. 

Which isn't to say there won't be violence and destruction along the way. Because there most certainly will be. It's inevitable now. 

But, just like Ukraine, if you want a better nation, then you're going to have to stand together with other good people and fight for it. 

And in the end, we will win. 


President Zelenskyy and all Ukrainians remind the world every day what courage is. They remind us that freedom is priceless. And worth fighting for. For as long as it takes.
-- President Joe Biden












121 comments:

  1. I assume you meant "stand together" and not "sand together" in the fourth paragraph to the end.

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    1. Maybe not. Jim's up in Michigan and it's what Michiganders do in February, sand everything. Keeps the car on the road.

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    2. You guys act like you've never seen a typo before.

      I was a little rushed this morning. I'm on caregiver duty for a stroke victim and missed the copy edit. It's fixed. Thanks // Jim

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    3. Great essay. It boils down to this line … “ For those like Greene to be free, others must always be in chains. Always. ” … I’ll be on the side breaking those damned chains.

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    4. I am always impressed and grateful for your astute and heartfelt essays. As for the tRump capture, the response on his "truth" social site is completely underwhelming, with 21k likes.

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  2. Well said, good sir, well said. This whole clusterfuck is simultaneously sad, infuriating, depressing, and exhausting. Yet we have no choice but to keep on, especially those of us who swore that oath to support and defend *and don't see an end date on it*.

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  3. I'm old enough to remember when the GOP did not believe democracy was a zero-sum game. Daily I thank whatever gods may be that Joe Biden is our president.
    [4th from last paragraph, "sand" s/b "stand"]

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  4. I have been missing you! Glad to see you again, full of piss and vinegar!!

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  5. I hang my hat on your last three paragraphs. Thank you

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  6. It truly boggles my mind that people whose parents and grandparents loudly opposed Soviet oppression actively and loudly call for it. Do they literally have to have been in the hallways of the apartments that were bombed and be only feet from being blown to bits to get it?! (I’m referring to the woman interviewed by a CBS correspondent this week whose daughter woke up early and was in the hall when their apartment was bombed. It’s the only reason that 10yo girl is alive.)

    Perjury’s tweet should, at the very least, have her thrown out of Congress and should absolutely have her in prison. She has violated her oath of office from the moment she took it.

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    1. The Republicans do not hold to the oath they took, none of them. MGT will not face any kind of punishment for her sedition. Maybe a hand-slap from Weak-Knee McCarthy, but just like her orange idol, she will get away with anything she does.

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  7. ISTM that a large swathe of US society has gone stark, raving, bonkers.

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    1. Like any good cult, they are loyal to this lard and saver, and they'll scream victimhood and innocence until their last breaths. Jim, I'm very sorry for your loved one's stroke and your added responsibilities and energies in caretaking. It's both a horrific job and a privilege. Best of luck to you and the stroke victim!

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  8. Thank you, again. Very well put, clearly delineating the traitorius statements of these seditionists. They don't realize that fascism is a dictatorship and that is completely what the Constitution was built to protect us from.

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  9. Great essay! I appreciate how dangerous MTG’s comments are, and I can’t understand how it’s allowed …

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  10. Thank you for your insight. Standing together against these MAGA is the only way. (Wish my family were not in their camp. )

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  11. As it appears Maggie Three Names is calling for the breakup of the US as she sits in the House of Representatives, is there a way to remove her through the 14th Amendment or can she hide behind the Speech and Debate Clause protecting elected officials? If no protection under this statute, how do we proceed to charge her?

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  12. You have a spelling error. "Because in this comparison, so long as we sand together, the fanatical dreams MAGA Republicans like Greene and Trump are very likely as doomed to ultimate failure as is Vladimir Putin's hollow war." It should read stand together. Great essay. Thanksk.

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  13. Because in this comparison, so long as we sand???

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  14. Inevitable seems right. Keep trying to figure out how to red team this to be honest. How do we fight when the time comes? How are so many millions in this country duped so thoroughly that they love Putin, fascism, and these putrid republicans in Congress?

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  15. I hope I live long enough to see MTG, and her treasonous ilk, imprisoned or at least permanently removed from governmental office.

    (BTW, a couple of typos. "Vice President of a county" and "so long as we sand together")

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  16. Just an FYI Jim: 3rd to last paragraph says “sand” when I believe you mean “stand.”

    As always, an excellent read and important insights.

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    1. FFS, all you armchair proofreaders: It's a typo. You knew exactly what he meant. It's one typo in that long read. Jim's insightful context is what you should be focusing on!

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  17. My wholly unqualified take is that both Putin and Greene represent a default condition of human social order. The "strong" leader at the apex of a rigid hierarchy where position is assured by obedience and loyalty. A perception enhanced by leadership's position that anything else is chaos and that chaos is "those people" thinking they are good as you are. The leader will maintain order, make you safe.
    A social structure born of old instincts. Straight from the amygdala.
    Egalitarian democracy is a calculated thing from the intelect. We get freedom by giving freedom. We give trust to have trust.
    It's scary, uncertain and hard work. It has to fight against the instinct that there is security in advantage.
    It has to fight against the fears and insecurities that are our evolutionary inheritance.
    We easily fall into believing democracy is the default.
    It is not, it will always be hard work and the authoritarians will always be just right fucking there ready to tear it down with promises of safety and loyalty they will withdraw the moment it becomes anything more than manipulative.

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    1. Yes, just like Lord of the Flies.

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    2. Yes, we were warned in Lord of the Flies, Golding in 1954, likely before MTG learned to read

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    3. Yes, well before MTG learned to read - she was -20 years old in 1954.

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    4. Not sure if MTG can read now.

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  18. It's become sadly apparent that oaths are now superceded by cultish loyalty to authoritarian, domestic enemies. This has become widespread in Congress, state legislatures, courts, police departments, and the military. We are on the brink of losing everything gained since 1776 and half of America is okay with that.

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  19. You have county where you meant countRy

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  20. People like Marjorie Green see the next civil war as something for pathetic citizens verses citizens, while forgetting they themselves would be prized targets. They might even end up on a deck of playing cards...

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    1. Per usual, they fail to see this. After all no liberals or African Americans, are armed.
      They will just be pushover.

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    2. Not ALL liberals are unarmed, or ignorant of marksmanship

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    3. Maybe they should pay attention to Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.

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  21. Well said, Jim. This old veteran knows you speak for the majority!

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  22. Hear hear! I couldn't agree more.

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  23. The secession movement notably in California and Texas has been strongly linked to Russian state disinfo campaigns. So it's no surprise the likes of Greene are spouting it.

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  24. Chief, excellent essay, and I thank you for taking the time to write it, given your family obligations/situation that you're dealing with at the moment.

    I find it odd that the RepubliQan party has forgotten that Russia is our enemy. I find it odder still that a member of congress finds her participation in that august body defined by a desire to eliminate more than half the country. For her to whine about (and I paraphrase) "woke" culture being shoved down our throat, is nothing compared to what she wants to stuff down mine.

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    1. "For her to whine about (and I paraphrase) "woke" culture being shoved down our throat, is nothing compared to what she wants to stuff down mine." this

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  25. Thank you. I wonder what your thoughts are on Putin suspending Russia from the Nuclear treaty?

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  26. I've lived with the threat of nuclear annihilation since a little boy (1950s). It is still just a few minutes away today. But these times make me feel much more uneasy. The level of irrational and insane behavior within our body politic has risen to heights I couldn't possibly imagine 20 years ago. Yet now that is everyday reality, or unreality. Thanks for the insightful commentary and thanks for the moments of beauty through your photographs.

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  27. We will do it. -Vladimir Zelynskyy. Slavi Urkaini.

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  28. I cannot imagine a better way to put any of this. Jim, you're not only right, you are a helluva fine writer.
    And yes, fot those of us old enough to remember at least some of the cold war, this moment resonates.
    Vlad, aren't you supposed to be pounding your shoe on the table about now?

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    1. When Kruschev beat his shoe on the table, he swore "We will bury you!" Today's far right seem happy to do that for him. I remember as a kid during the Cuban Missle Crisis kneeling in the hallway saying the rosary with the nuns. Thinking it might be time to get those beads out of mothballs. - Mary McI.

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    2. I was a cynical kid in high school during the late 70s. I wrote a Beatles parody about WW3 that started out like this: "Yesterday, I saw the world burn away. I am sorry, but I have to say, I don't regret yesterday."

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  29. The majority of media commentary about Green’s proposal most does not mention, she swore an oath to defend the Constitution, that oath, prohibits, considering recommending or starting a divorce!

    She should be removed from the committee assignments again, and a resolution should be made to expeller from Congress for her unbecoming behavior.

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  30. Another great essay, Jim. You never disappoint

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  31. This isn't a comment, just a note that you have a typo you probably want to correct. "so long as we sand together" - please feel free to delete this comment and to ignore or fix the typo as you please. I love your posts, and I know how trolls love to pick on any tiny thing to carp about which is the only reason I bring the typo to your attention.

    Keep fighting the good fight. I hope your relative is recovering well from the stroke.

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  32. Truth hurts. Denying reality hurts more in the end.
    Thanks for doing what you do, Chief.

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  33. The clarity you bring to every political situation and event is greatly appreciated. These ARE dangerous times and I fear not enough people truly understand this. Thank you Jim. No one says it better.

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  34. Typo: "so long as we sand together"

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  35. Thanks for using the P and V at the top. Don't hear many use that any more, though I do to describe my dog and her antics.

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  36. We've been here before. I remember hearing speeches just like Putin's and Green's and that of TFG. Apparently Americans are really slow learners, eh?

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  37. Small typo paragraph 4th from the end - sand instead of stand. Loved this post!

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  38. I know you need another social media account like you need a hole in the head, but there are lots of folks on Spoutible looking for you. Please consider joining. The water's fine.

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  39. Gotta say, living through our first eyeball to eyeball with Russia as a kid was more than enough. Ditto the 80s. The novelty as worn off...

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  40. "sand together" -> stand
    I'm glad that you're angry, dedicated to our country, and optimistic, Jim. I can only muster the first two out of three. I will regain the last, just not today.

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  41. The No True Scotsman fallacy is, possibly, the most dangerous logical fallacy in politics today. It is how traitors justify themselves as patriots: they're the *real* Americans, not those of us who don't subscribe to their mean, nasty, brutish world-view. They will burn the Capitol to the ground while waving their American flags and shouting "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

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  42. The No True Scotsman fallacy is, perhaps, the most dangerous logical fallacy in politics today. It is how traitors justify themselves as patriots: they're the *real* Americans, not those of us who don't share their mean, nasty, and brutal world-view. They would burn the Capitol to the ground while waving the American flag and shouting "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

    -- EMH

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  43. Its not just that Republican's are so full of it, its that its the same shit not even new. I feel like I can watch a Barry Goldwater speech and just save some time. Great essay

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  44. Agree 100% They're nuts and proof southern schools have issues since it apears they haven't learned a thing about the world we live in.

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  45. "For them, life is always and forever a zero sum game. If others gets more, they always feel like they get less. If others are raised up, they always feel diminished. For them, freedom, justice, liberty, these are all measures of relative worth."

    Reminds me a lot of Umberto Eco's 14 characteristics of fascism essay.
    In this specific case these points come to mind:

    5. Disagreement is a sign of diversity. Ur-Fascism grows up and seeks for consensus by exploiting and exacerbating the natural fear of difference. The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.

    6. Ur-Fascism derives from individual or social frustration. That is why one of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups.

    7. To people who feel deprived of a clear social identity, Ur-Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common one, to be born in the same country. This is the origin of nationalism. Besides, the only ones who can provide an identity to the nation are its enemies. Thus at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged. The easiest way to solve the plot is the appeal to xenophobia. But the plot must also come from the inside.

    9. For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle.

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  46. Thank you for saying all this. I agree with you. Being elderly & living outside Charlotte in NC, I do not really expect to live through the violence that may intensify into all out war in the streets everywhere any time in our near future.

    While alive, I will never give up my belief in this being the right thing to do!

    "But, just like Ukraine, if you want a better nation, then you're going to have to stand together with other good people and fight for it."

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  47. I love you man...! The "Annual They Hate Us Because They Ain't Us" speech... brilliant.

    (sheepish text editing: "Ukrainians for damn sure know" ; "I you told" (I like Shakespearean word order but I don't think that's your intent...) ; "county")

    p.s. I have a paypal recurring that I'm going to fix...
    p.p.s I can't believe I'm first...! :)

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  48. Minor typo. ... "we sand together"

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  49. Very well said. Could not agree more.

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  50. As usual, Jim, you have boiled it down to its essence. I wish we could draft you for POTUS. I know I wouldn't agree with all your policies, or maybe even most, but I sure as hell would credit you for doing what you think is best for the country, not what is best for Jim Wright.

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  51. Great write up Chief. Unfortunately, spot on as usual. Depressing, but that’s where we are.

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  52. Replies
    1. Obviously a typo. No need for passive aggressive. I fixed it.
      // Jim

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  53. I will do what it takes to prevent maga ilk from ruining this country.

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  54. I look with growing sadness from outside the US as the confrontation that is coming. I truly hope that it will be the highly anticipated but damp fizzle that was the 'Red Wave' of 2022.

    I live to hope that with another event like that in 2024 people to the Right will *see* that they've been consistently misled. Perhaps the imminent win of Dominion against Fox and the revelation that the network just blatantly lied for market share might make an impact?

    Probably not, but hope remains.

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  55. Let's stand together and fight against this putrid evil. We are in the majority.

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  56. "Because in this comparison, so long as we sand together," don't you mean "stand"?

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  57. Wow. You captured the essence of our nations current peril and how Americans will inevitably fight for our Republic..."For as long as it takes." Thanks Jim
    -Terry Shaub
    aka FatherGoose @shaubfather

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  58. I saw Biden's trip to Kyev, and I thought, as I have thought so often since January 20, 2021, what a miracle it was that Biden was elected and actually made it into office. trump had sworn to get the US out of NATO, and he had already done his best to destroy it. Just like his buddies the Russians wanted. And I'm sure that when one of Putin's friends said, a couple of weeks ago, that Poland was next, that the rest of Europe felt the cold chill of terror. It's a shame that the republicans have stopped caring about Democracy and freedom. Their swivel toward Fascism does not bode well for the country.

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  59. *(slamming fist on the table)* Hell yes!

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  60. Hi, this is unrelated, but can you confirm that https://masto.ai/@Stonekettle is you? It's got quite a few followers, and it's got your avatar, but there are no posts.

    If so, could I (humbly) request that you at least post your main article notifications there, so I can boost it with proper attribution?

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    1. Yes, that's me.

      HOWEVER, my experience on Mastodon was utterly unpleasant. I honestly think I'd rather be on Truth Social than Mastodon. The place makes me think there might be something to Republicans' complaint about "wokeism. I found it revolting. So, after about the second time I was dogpiled for not being left enough, I deleted all of my content and went dark. I kept the account, because I didn't want someone else to take it and start pretending to be me.

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    2. I can't begin to tell you how discouraging I find this evaluation. You're one of the sanest voices I know and the thought that you got hammered for "not being left enough"....ugh.

      Why are there so many idiots everywhere?

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    3. Insufficient access to birth control.

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    4. I'm not much for social media, but I've followed you on mastodon if you get back over there.

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    5. I will not be returning to Mastodon.

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  61. Excellent essay. But I think Twumpy had someone write his for him. He doesn't even know what "systematic" means, much less how to spell it!

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  62. “We know that they are lying, they know that they are lying, they even know that we know they are lying, we also know that they know we know they are lying too, they of course know that we certainly know they know we know they are lying too as well, but they are still lying. In our country, the lie has become not just moral category, but the pillar industry of this country.”
    ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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  63. The end of the essay is exactly what myself and Poles commenting on President Biden's speech in Warsaw (and others) were saying, ie we must stand together against Putin's aim, we must work together to keep him from his desire of grabbing Ukraine and Poland and any other country. They remember what it was like before Walesca and Solidarity. So do I, as much as anyone who was not actually there can -it;s only been about half my life since then.
    Maybe it's time for more of us who remember to remind those who don;t or can;t.

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    1. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

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  64. Excellent analysis as always, Jim. Love your writing.

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  65. Thank you for yet another blisteringly excellent essay, sir. Harlan Ellison will always be my favorite gadfly, political or otherwise, but you've pretty much got the lock on second place.

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  66. My Father was born in Ukraine in 1932 and left with his Mother in 1941 after Stalin's NKVD took his Father away for refusing to be an informant. By 1949 they made it to the US. He gets apoplectic when he hears MTG and these other mental midgets spew pro-Soviet bullshit - after all, Moscow's been the cause of more Russian deaths than any enemy it ever had and at a thousand Russian troops a day on average, the carnage and lies continue.

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  67. Brilliant dive into the precipice our world is dangling on. The Fascists in our nation will meet a wall of resistance by our freedom loving citizens. Fascists always underestimate the resolve of those who will resist their madness 😡

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  68. I know the "eternal vigilance" quote is usually attributed to extremists, but now more than ever we need to be vigilant. But not in a "destroy all who oppose us" way but in a bringing together of communities. Grass roots, from the bottom up, One on one convincing those who follow the MAGA lies. Showing that the core of this country is about the people, all the people, not just the few at the top. And that differences are spice, not a threat, because we all want the same thing and in this country there's plenty of room.

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  69. What is it with some people? You post a fact-filled, thought-provoking essay and rather than simply absorbing the knowledge, they have to point out minor typos. I held a position once where proofreading was part of the job but I know when to overlook those things and just recognize a well-written essay.
    Thanks for the post. Gives me so much to think about.

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    1. What irritates me is that people don't read prior comments before commenting.

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  70. Hi, I'm new here. I follow you on Twitter. About MTG and the others, I keep coming back to the fact that if people hadn't voted for them, they couldn't do the harm they're doing. Their supporters must be close to deranged. My brother lives in Florida, and he's angry about Floridians voting for DeSantis. He's angry about what he's doing to the environment, among other things. And IMO the indifference and complacency of sane citizens who don't bother to vote is as troublesome as the unhinged fanatics who do vote. Those are my thoughts.

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  71. "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." Lyndon B. Johnson

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  72. You ended with a bit of hope. Where are you finding your optimism?

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  73. End stage capitalism leads to fascism. We have been on the precipice for a while, and while we might kick it down the road a bit, I don't think we're going to avoid it. I've been saying this since W. TFG just gave it a giant push.

    If we want to save our democracy, we have to give people something to fight for. People are exhausted hustling and barely surviving. We have to make this country equitable. Period. I'm not talking stimulus checks. I'm talking a systemic change to our economic model that can only survive with people - a lot of people - on the very bottom. FDR did it. It can be done again. Otherwise, the people fighting aren't going to be what you like.

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  74. Current GQP Job requirements: Must be willing to say say and do stupid things, at the top of your lungs. Must be willing repeat anything you hear, accuracy not a requirement. Must be willing to project. Don't worry, we don't know what it means either. Must be willing to lie about anything. Criminal background is a plus. Extra consideration given if you are wanted in a foreign country.

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  75. Well done! It’s always good to read some long form Stonekettle; brings back memories. Yeah, things change and the reading public has become accustomed to 240 character formats and 30 second videos. Anyway, just a note to say “sidle up” is an underrated figure of speech, IMO. Hope your family member recovers soon and completely.

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  76. The more these idiots expose themselves, the more I’m reminded of an Eric Hoffer writing. The magats truly despise freedom . A truly free society is a dog-eat-dog world, and that terrifies them. They are incapable of handling that sort of environment. They’d rather have a system of repression, so they don’t get left behind. Keep the masses stupid by burning books.

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  77. About "true Americans"--I'm 70YO, old enough to remember Ronald Reagan saying, I'm paraphrasing, that there are Democrats, and then there are Americans. This has been going on for quite a while.

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  78. America will fight. And America will be right.

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  79. Jim and I are similar ages
    We both vanquished the Soviet Union with the world's best military with true patriots in the political realm backing us up. We did not need cannons and bombs. We used our superior education and past experiences hto calm the waters.

    Jim. and I are a rare aspecies in the military. The difference is many like us made the difference.
    America is in trouble. For the first time in several epochs, the tyrants are winning.

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  80. Excellent read as always. I appreciate your raw opinion! I still have hopes that Marjorie Traitor Greene (along with many others) receive jail time, fines and/or ousted from politics forever! The sooner, the better!

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  81. First time reader. Excellent, insightful commentary. I'll be back.

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  82. Remember when GWB looked into Putin's eyes and saw into his soul?

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  83. As a purely domestic matter, I'd love to be unshackled from the money sucking red states. But, as questionable as some of our own actions have been, I see an intact U.S. as a necessary deterrent to Putin's Russia and Xi's China. And the Biden Administration is doing better than average in upholding our Country's ideals.

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  84. Agreed, Jim. *WHY* are we allowing sedition? I never understood that.

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  85. This one is just for you, Jim; you inexplicably blocked my Twitter account XDarwinAwardsX. Not sure why? Since we agree on about 99% of things, it was shocking and you were one of the only reasons I still logged on to Twitter at all.

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  86. Brilliant! As usual.

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  87. Thanks again for another inciteful intelligent post pointing out how badly the GOP has gone off the rails.

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  88. Thanks for a well reasoned rant, they're rare on the innertubes. :) I too am optimistic about the future, but that's because I don't see any alternative to being optimistic about it. Hopefully, I'm working to make that good future happen.

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  89. Charlie Pierce had a brilliant comment re: MTG. He said she is looking to overturn both the Constitution and the Battle of Gettysburg.

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  90. You know another deep rooted conception Putin and Greene share? The total denial of political liberty as a concept, as shown vividly by their constant confusion of mandatory versus compulsory, so anything not forbidden is somehow required. Greene famously insisted all Americans would be FORCED TO BE GAY unless the "gay woke agenda" were murdered by her sexy AR. Putin famously cares nothing whatsoever for things like consent, while the only real law in his dominions is not to defy him.

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  91. Hey Chief, regarding that juvenile Agkistrodon Piscivorous:

    You got it in one:

    https://herpsofarkansas.com/reptiles/snakes/agkistrodon-piscivorus/#gallery[photonic-flickr-stream-1]/9269195265/

    Not being a pedant, just a snake guy. Good catch, by the way, most people would take it as juvie copperhead, because most folks think a dark brown/black adult means a brown/black juvie. They've never seen a juvie Black Rat Snake, have they?

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