The Ukraine Peace Process as I See it: Overview

By Rich Kozlovich

In spite of the fact the Russo/Ukrainian War has been going on for almost four years, It's a bit early to make predictions but as I watched this whole mess playing out I've come to some conclusions.  

First, I really hate beating this drum, but I do wish people would abandon the depth of defense logic for Russia’s “need” to attack Ukraine.  Even Putin disputes that when he admits if Trump had been elected in 2020 he wouldn’t have attacked.   He attacked because he wanted Ukraine, he wanted to be a world shaker, he wants to be Czar, he wants to reestablish the Russian  Empire, and he clearly read Biden for the weak brain dead loser he is. 

Second, let's to a bit of history here.  We have to ask why is war always the answer for the Russians? Recently I read this great piece, Perpetual Russian Wars, where the author quoted  the Russian War Minister General Kuropatkin in 1900 to Emperor Nicholas II:

Your Imperial Majesty! Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Russia spent 128 years at war… Of those, only 5 were defensive wars; all the rest—aggressive campaigns… The foreign wars lasted more than 67 years of continuous fighting; the defensive wars lasted 2 years and 1 month. The rest, 121 military operations, were waged beyond the borders of the empire.

He then goes on to show that was the trend of the Soviets, albeit Stalin and his cabal was far  more vicious than the Czar.  When Hitler was scaring the world with his aggression, the Soviets were attacking Finland, the Baltics, and then split Poland with Hitler.  In the mere 73 year existence of the Soviet Union they conducted 25 wars.  Before Finland, the Baltics, Poland, Germany, Japan, they went to war over the Spanish Revolution.    Then Afghanistan, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Georgia, Chechnya, Syria, and it's clear Russian leadership had worldwide ambitions, and while those ambitions are now thwarted, the mentality still exists.  So, one has to ask why? Because Russia can only exist in a state of war.  The author goes on to say:

Looking for a rational explanation is pointless. Russia has always acted irrationally, without any clear benefit and almost always to its detriment. The root of all its imperial wars should perhaps be studied through the lens of psychology or even psychiatry, which is not what I intend to do in this essay. My aim is much simpler: to draw attention to the ultimate goal of Russia’s current war against Ukraine.

At first glance, the goal seems obvious: seizing its territory and resources, and enslaving the population. A seemingly standard objective, like so many wars of conquest throughout history. But it’s not that simple; in fact, it’s the wrong answer, because it immediately raises the same question again: why?  Will it extract Ukraine’s natural resources? But Russia already has more natural wealth than it can swallow..........

The second question is, what's their long term plans for Ukraine?  None.... they have no plan for Ukraine.  If Russia wins they will occupy a destroyed nation they can't afford to fix, but war is easier that building a viable economy, and that would mean the governing cabal would have to start giving up on centralized control, opening up their society to real democracy, with freedom of speech, and individualized economic ideas, and since:

Waging war is far easier than building the prosperity of one’s country. War demands centralized control, a vertical power structure, no democracy, and no freedom of thought or action. War is a convenient excuse for every problem. War allows failure to be shifted to the “enemy,” whether external or internal.  

The heart of the problem is the inability, or unwillingness, to shift to stable economic principles in order for the corrupt tyrannous few to hold power.  That’s insightful! I’ve read a lot of Russian history and yet that was a foundational concept I never thought of before this.

The author says [an] “enslaved” Ukraine will turn into a permanent festering wound of sabotage, guerrilla warfare, and ultimately, another financial sinkhole, where Russian budget funds will drain away like water into a sewer."  

While I agree about the economics I disagree there will be sabotage or guerrilla warfare to any important degree because there are no good guys in this mess.  Putin and Zelenskyy are two peas in a corrupt pod.  In my view at this point Ukrainians want the war to end, and whether it's Putin or Zelenskyy who is in charge is arguably immaterial to the majority of Ukrainians.  Think about this. Does it really matter if you have a corrupt Ukrainian leadership running the nation, or a corrupt Russian leadership?  Neither nation is free, and after this is over, neither nation will be free afterward.

Then there are people like former Vice President Pence who claims if Russia wins in Ukraine they will attack a NATO country.  No, Russia will not attack a NATO country, including the Baltic nations or Finland.   Russia doesn't have the military, economic, demographic, or the industrial wherewithal to attack any NATO nation, all of which I will be addressing in my next post on what is fallaciously being called a "peace process".    

Putin is Between a Rock and a Hard Place

By Rich Kozlovich  Tags: P&D Geopolitics Edition: Russo/Ukrainian War, and Donald Trump, Putin

This piece was inspired by a podcast by George Friedman of Geopolitical Futures.   GF is a subscription site, and so I can't link it, and so too are some of my other observations, so you'll just have to take my word for what appears here.  Or not as it please you.  Otherwise information from non subscription sites are linked.  

The Russian oligarchs, former criminals, many of which formerly worked in Soviet intelligence agencies, are outraged at Putin.  They created him and now because of him all their money that’s tied up in European banks are closed to them, they can’t get at it.  

Putin's facing serious economic issues, and it's being reported the Russian economy is suffering, that Russia's economic growth plummeted after Trump took office, and their economic minister says the country is on the brink of recession.  Now  OPEC is going to boost oil production which will cut into Russia's income stream.

Trump was catering to Putin for quite a while, and while Trump is a brilliant negotiator, there’s a difference between economic negotiations, and the negations dealing with national pride..... and survival for Putin.  But Trump is still Trump, and he’s had it with Putin, giving him a deadline for massively larger sanctions and sanctions on anyone who trades with him, and he’s not Obama.

• Clock Ticking For Russia During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump said he believed he could end the Russia-Ukraine war with a few phone calls. I thought he could, too. I thought Russia and Ukraine were both weary, to put it mildly, and would be happy to be given a way out by the U.S. But we were wrong. Ukraine wanted to negotiate an end to the war, but Russia didn’t. ........
• Trump's Eyes Opened on Putin. Now What Will He Do?  - "I'm not happy with what Putin is doing. He's killing a lot of people, and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin," said Donald Trump on Truth Social over the holiday weekend. 
• Trump Warns Russia: Make Peace With Ukraine in 50 Days—Or Monster Tariffs  - President Donald Trump told reporters during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte on Monday that European NATO members would fund billions of dollars of American military equipment, including Patriot missiles, for Ukraine and threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with a massive 100-per cent indirect tariff if he did not make peace in 50 days....
• Trump’s Ukraine Ultimatum: A Promising First Step - President Trump’s July 14 ultimatum to Vladimir Putin—demanding peace in Ukraine within 50 days and threatening secondary sanctions on countries like China and India if they continue funding Russia’s aggression—is a welcome and long-overdue step. But it is just that: a first step. If the goal is peace and deterrence of future wars, the United States and its allies must go further.......

What Putin is doing in these negotiations are what the Russians have always done.  Talking a lot,  saying nothing, delaying, and all the while pursuing their goals threatening to take more and more dramatic actions in order to force everyone to give in, "pounding Ukraine with missiles and drones a day before the two sides meet for a new round of direct talks in Istanbul."  

His military is undermanned and disgruntled sending Smartphone videos of protest back to their families.  A Ukrainian drone attack destroyed more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russian territory, and Russian retribution for daring Ukrainian strike is postponed, perhaps indefinitely:

Ukraine’s June 1 strike on four Russian airbases exposed severe vulnerabilities in Russia’s air defenses, prompting patriotic outcries and demands for retaliation despite censorship and subdued official responses. Russia’s retaliatory strike on June..

Having around a million casualties from his war with Ukraine, and hundreds of thousands of them dying, Putin faces not only a serious manpower issues for his military, he also faces a serious labor gap.  Now Putin's Ministry of Education is floating the idea they should try to recruit workers from Africa, Latin America, and India, but these are untrained people who will be expected to fill jobs that are far more technical than they capable of performing, in a culture with a language they're don't speak.  That will take time to train them properly.  This isn't a short term fix that can help Putin. 

He's incapable of meeting the needs of his military any longer, and has asked Laos to send "engineering troops to help de-mine the Kursk region".  Laos sent 50 engineers, even "providing rehabilitation support for wounded Russian soldiers."

North Korea is sending "25,000 more troops, 1,000 combat engineers, and 5,000 "military construction personnel to help rebuild Russia's Kursk region," and now Putin’s surrender to Islam:

In March 2025, tens of thousands of Muslims flooded Moscow’s streets for Eid al-Fitr prayers. Loudspeakers blasted the Islamic call to prayer, echoing under the gaze of the Kremlin itself. This wasn’t simply a religious gathering. It was a state-enabled spectacle of Islamic dominance in Russia’s capital—a country once considered the stronghold of Orthodox Christianity. The government not only permitted the display but also provided infrastructure and protection.

He attacked Ukraine only to abandon Russia to elements that will destroy Russia from within.  

Putin has a Central Asian problem.  Former Soviet Republics are, like Kazakhstan, moving in directions that are clearly meant to neutralize Russian influence.  Kazakhstan is negotiating with Pakistan on military issues, and has aims to modernize their military via what they calling multivector diplomacy

Central Asia’s Water Crisis Becoming Russia’s Problem: To the extent that happens—and Moscow’s behavior makes such an outcome ever more probable—three developments are almost certain. 

1. First, the Central Asian countries are likely to distance themselves from Moscow, even as an ever-increasing number of their citizens migrate to Russia to access sufficient water.  
2.  Second, the PRC, Afghanistan, and possibly other countries further from the scene will expand their influence in the region at Russia’s expense.
3. Third, Russia will likely become the site of more ethnic conflict and the political instability that such a development entails. Had Moscow taken a different position on diverting some Siberian river water to Central Asia or even shown itself more sympathetic to the problems of Central Asians, it might have avoided all these unwelcome outcomes. It may now be too late for the Kremlin to recover...............

The Caucuses, which are historically notorious for instability, are growing more and more unstable, and it's clear Russia is so tied up with Ukraine they're losing control involving their own region of Dagestan, along with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, and now Turkey is involving itself.  Just about everything the Russians have done has exacerbated the issues there. 

The Poles have to worry about everyone.  They don’t like the Ukrainians, the hate the Germans, and they fear the Russians, and rightly so since the Russians are talking about the “final act” an attack against European cities, and presumably they mean nuclear attacks.  Which probably means they’re just talking since you don’t tell the enemy what you’re planning to do.  But Putin is in trouble, and if he can’t do something radical to win this war, he’s toast. 

• Kremlin Increases Anti-Poland Propaganda Executive Summary: Russia is intensifying its hybrid warfare against Poland through cyberattacks, sabotage, and disinformation, while portraying Polish defensive actions as provocations to fuel domestic narratives and justify ongoing hostility. Kremlin propaganda is beginning to..
• Pivotal Poland: Europe’s Rising Power Announcing – Promethean Liberation: Russia’s Emerging National and Regional Movements - The invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the decline of the Russian state and raised the prospects for domestic turmoil. It has resulted in an unsustainable militarization of the economy, falling state revenues, shrinking financial reserves, military failures, and signs of mounting regional and ethnic unrest. Without structural reforms that boost the civilian economy and absent any autonomy among Russia’s 83 republics and regions, the federal structure will become increasingly unmanageable and vulnerable to movements demanding sovereignty or secession.

And now Germany is promoting the idea Ukraine should be part of NATO.  It's not going to happen for a number of reasons, including everyone is getting really tired of Zelenskyy.  

Putin turned Russian politics in its head, and while Stalin never feared the other institutional structures of the communist regime because they all understood Stalin was the new Czar.  Everyone between Stalin and Putin did fear them.  Putin, like Stalin, doesn’t fear them, but he’s not Stalin, and he never built a structure around himself as Stalin did.

If he makes a peace with Ukraine after over three years of war, and a million casualties with the hundreds of thousands of young Russian men dying, billions of dollars in military costs, multi billions lost in economic sanctions, he’s toast.  So, he threatens use of nuclear weapons, which he doesn’t dare do now since Europe fears him and is reaming itself against him.  He’s threatening to attack Europe via an air war for arming Ukraine, but Europe is doing it anyway, and now Germany has deployed military brigades in Lithuania.

Their banking system is collapsing, the Russian people are not happy, but Putin is making it clear he’s in charge, he wants what he wants, and Europe had better be prepared for war, but I do believe there's a von Stauffenberg cabal within his military, and his government, and if that's true, he's not going to last much longer, especially if Trump imposes more economic sanctions on Russia and all those doing business with Russia.  

P&D Geopolitics Edition: Russo/Ukrainian War, and Donald Trump, Part II

By Rich Kozlovich, Tags: P&D Geopolitics Edition: Russo/Ukrainian War, and Donald Trump, Putin

On February 20, 2025 Victoria White Berger published this article, Oh, horrors! Trump pursues peace and tells the truth about Zelenskyy, saying:

The war machine is up and screaming. Zelenskyy is having a hissy fit for not continuing to be the absolute center of attention as Trump proceeds, diplomatically, to pursue perfectly legitimate routes to, firstly, engage the “aggressor” (Russia) in talks for peace. For the first time since the current Ukraine/Russia war began—exactly 3 years less 4 days ago—the leadership of America is speaking for the people, those being killed, and all those paying for it.

Zelenskyy is furious that America, whose taxpayers have financed “his” war, did not yet include him in the first diplomatic efforts with Russia. But this is not all about Zelenskyy, fortunately.  It most absolutely stands to reason that the peace talks, from the perspective of any historically successful diplomacy, must begin with the most powerful participant: Russia. This is Diplomacy 101.

There’s only one thing in this article I disagree with and this is “Zelenskyy’s war”. It’s Putin’s war, and his excuses for starting it are pathetic. And none of this could have happened if it wasn’t for Joe Biden stealing the election via massive voter fraud because he gave Putin carte blanche for supplying energy to Europe when he shut down all the drilling, and even started buying oil from Venezuela. That funded Putin’s war, and it put all of Europe in a bind.

However, that wouldn’t have been a problem if Europe’s leaders hadn’t gone insane, aka, green, buying into the global warming lies.   Now Europe had to buy so much more natural gas and oil from Russia. They’re either stupid or crazy. 

If the Ukrainian government hadn’t been one of, if not the most corrupt government in Europe, they could have easily provided for adequate defenses to thwart any Russian invasion.  And if there are all these wealth building natural resources there, as is being reported, why didn’t they develop them before and become a very wealthy nation, capable of buying or building a huge defense capability that would have thwarted any invasion.

Russia has been at it against Ukraine since 2014, not to mention all the other former Soviet states they've attacked, so they had to know it was coming.  Putin would have known those defensive capabilities were in place, and this would have never happened.   But you can’t corruptly line your pockets and meet the needs of the nation at the same time, and it seems perfectly clear that’s what has been happening all these years.

From the beginning my view is this is Europe’s problem, let them fix it or not, if they don’t it’s on them.  If they do, it’s still on them, we have no skin in this game.  And all this insane clabber about how the US and NATO forced him to attack is nonsense.  

NATO was set up to prevent aggression by the Soviet Union against Europe, and that was a very real threat.   But NATO, no matter who became members had no desire to attack Russia, and without US support they couldn't have beaten their way out of a wet paper bag, and Putin absolutely knew that.  This attack wasn't about depth of defense, it was about revanche, the return of the lost territory of what was the Soviet Union.  

If you’re a moral person you must feel compassion for the people of Ukraine, the same people who suffered the death of millions at Stalin’s hands, but if you’re a rational person, you must realize this isn’t our fault, nor is it our responsibility.

There's been a lot of effort by the Trump administration to bring this Russo/Ukrainian War insanity to an end, and it's also clear neither Zelenskyy or Putin want that as they're both playing games. 

Below are some of the latest articles dealing with this insanity.   Today we're told there will be peace.  Tomorrow neither Putin or Zelenskyy will sign a peace deal unless ___________ add the caveat of your choice here.   

Now there's all this talk about Europe putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, and now that Russia is using both North Korean and Chinese troops, it give Ukraine and the rest of Europe an excuse to do the same. Any talk about other countries coming to Ukraine’s aid is hot air, which Europe’s leaders are exceptionally good at. 

• U.K. to Rush Experimental Laser Weapon into Service to Deploy in Ukraine - Oliver JJ Lane Ukraine is to become a giant testing ground for a revolutionary new laser weapon which, if successful, promises to radically alter the economics of warfare, the British government says. The “sovereign” British Dragonfire laser was successfully tested at an Army range in Scotland earlier this year. Now, defence procurement rules are being changed to rush it to deployment five years early, and perhaps to the front line in Ukraine even sooner. British Defence Minister Grant Shapps said the rollout of the anti-air laser to the Royal Navy warships was being brought forward five whole years, from 2032 to 2027, but made clear it could be seeing action earlier yet...........

There will be no European troops on the ground doing any fighting, there will be little organized efforts to give them money, as Europe keeps saying they're going to finance Ukraine, but they don't seem to know where the money will be coming from, and now because Trump has put the hammer down on NATO about meeting their financial obligations, they're all investing far more money in their own national defenses, and their national debt keeps climbing.

Ukraine is running out of bodies and military supplies, a lot of which has ended up on the black market. If the US walks away, it’s over, Zelenskyy knows it, Putin knows it, Europe knows it, and Trump knows it, irrespective of all of the grandstanding by Zelenskyy and Europe's leaders against Trump.

Here was Jack Hellner's  overview of the Russo-Ukrainian war, from 2008–2025, which I thought was a good article, with excellent time lines, and clear definitions of who is who and what is what. All necessary as the Pravda media keeps trying to redefine reality and history.

There's a reason why he wasn't included in negotiations.  President Trump: It’s “Not Important” for Zelensky to be Involved in Peace Talks – “He Makes It Very Hard to Make Deals”.  Arrogant on the part of Trump?  Possibly, but Zelenskyy has demonstrated beyond any doubt he's not reliable, and the yellow jacket in your soft drink.

1.  Trump resurrects Kissinger 
2.  Trump Torches ’Dictator’ Zelensky For Opposing Peace Push 
3.  Trump Gives an Update on Russia-Ukraine Peace Talk 
4.  Analyzing the Trump/Zelensky meeting

Let's try and get this right, just once, please. Zelenskyy is a dictator.   His government was corrupt and given everything that's happened there's every indication it still is.  There's no way of knowing how many millions of dollars Biden gave to him ended up in Ukrainian officials pockets because Joe wouldn't allow that money to be tracked. How insane is that?

As you go through these posts you will see a man who can twist himself into a pretzel with his proclamations, but it seems perfectly clear nothing he says can be trusted.   And the same absolutely goes for Putin.  

1.  Zelensky Says ‘Ready’ to Resign for the Sake of Peace, NATO Membership
2.  Zelensky Offers to Resign for Peace, but There's a Catch
3.   Zelensky surrenders to Trump and will sign rare earth mineral deal within hours.
4.  WSJ broke the story, full details here.
5.  Media Fears: Could Lose If He Holds Elections
6.  Zelensky Tantrum: Cancels Peace Talks Trip
7.  No, President Zelenskyy and the EU, you don’t dictate American foreign policy
8.  No, Zelensky is not Churchill
9.  Yes, Voldemort Zelenskyy Is a Dictator
10.  Marco Rubio Confirms Snakelike Behavior of Zelensky During Negotiations and Peace Talks
11.  What Zelensky Didn’t Get
    

Is peace possible? Not now it isn't, and no matter how much effort Trump puts into bringing it about, he can't make them want peace, and that's the key, neither party wants it, nor does Europe.

1. ‘Freezing’ Ukrainian Conflict Will Not Bring Peace Both Kyiv and Moscow say they are not interested in “freezing” the conflict in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Moscow insists that any accord must address the “root causes” of the conflict, and Kyiv........
2. Is ‘Peace’ a Dirty Word?
   
3. A Possible End to the War in Ukraine 
4. Is the Ukraine war everyone's war?
5. Why Ukraine Is Cautious
6. All the Ukrainian Known Knowns

Russia is in trouble, and Putin will tolerate no dissent.  He's jailed four Russian journalists who were supporters of political rival Navalny, who he had arrested and then murdered, and he's causing trouble everywhere, and the reason why more nations joined NATO, and is causing a lot of unrest with all of their neighbors.  Belarus is now openly supporting Putin, which is positioned on Ukraine's North West border allowing for attacks behind Ukrainian forces, and Turkey is walking an economic tightrope. 

1. Russia’s Double Game in Arctic is Cooperation in Name, but Confrontation in Practice 
2. Sweden’s SÄPO Reports that Russia is Evolving Sabotage Tactics
3. Ukrainian War Unsettles Russian Regions and Non-Russian Republics
4. Russia Uses Black Sea Ceasefire Talks to Regain Former Hegemony

This war has impacted Russia negatively at many levels.  Internally ethnic enclaves are spreading across Russia, in effect they're saying they're not Russian, and that's scaring Putin, but he has serious economic issues he can't resolve while continuing this war, and what Putin's seeing play out is the central Asian nations are now doing far more business with China than in the past, and that's going to grow.  

1. Global Trade War Does Not Diminish Pressure on Russia to End Its War
2. China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Emerges as Competitor to Kazakhstan’s Rail Network

I thought this was an interesting piece by Jordan Schachtel, Washington's $300 billion dilemma, saying:

 

 What are the implications of stealing hundreds of billions of dollars from Russia? After the onset of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, western powers responded with haste to impose a plethora of sanctions against Moscow, hoping to use the dollar as an economic weapon to strike back against the Kremlin’s kinetic activities in Ukraine.   Two years ago on this very day, the Biden Administration’s Treasury Department moved to freeze hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian assets that are held in the United States. The number held by the U.S. and European powers is estimated today to amount to $300 billion.

 

Interesting information, and I thought it worthwhile to highlight it, but it seems clear to me he's a Putin apologist, and Putin apologists just irritate me.

 

Conclusion?  It seems to me at some point Trump is going realize he's wasting his time, and say, I've had it.  No more money and no more negotiations.  Letting Europe, Zelenskyy, and Putin know, they're all on their own.

P&D and The Week That Was

 Truth is the Sublime Convergence of History and Reality

---

De Omnibus Dubitandum, (Everything is to be questioned!)

---

This Link will take you to My Commentaries. 

 

By Rich Kozlovich

 

 

 

Another shake it out week.  We have the at one point Trump managing to get both Putin and Zelenskyy preparing for a truce, and then out of nowhere Putin dumps any concept of a ceasefire and launches a massive bombing raid.  Dealing with these lunatics must really be tiresome, but there's more in the background.  

 

No matter what you're reading, Putin's in trouble, and now he's having difficulties with his oligarchs, and for those who aren't aware of it, Russia is in reality an oligarchy, in many ways like Czarist Russia and their nobility.  It's these oligarchs who keep the country running, and they want the war over.  His economy is heading South, Trump is going to add more economic restrictions on Russia if he continues to squash a peace deal.  While it's true that Ukraine lost, it's also true Russia didn't win.  The number 2 military in the world hasn't been able to defeat the number 22 military in the world in three years.   And I have no idea why Trump is backing off on dealing with Russian cyber attacks, I think that's nuts. 

Trump has told NATO to pay up, or else, and guess what? The EU is putting a 800 billion euro defense plan in place.  Germany wants to overhaul their defense spending policies, the European Commission wants to borrow 150 billion Euros for "missile defense, artillery, drones, cybersecurity and more"...... all of which sounds great....but there's more.   They have no idea where that money is coming from, Slovakia is threatening to block financial aid to Ukraine, and Hungary is objecting to the verbiage in the agreement, and any new military aid.

So, if anyone had questions as to why Trump refuses to involved the EU states, and Zelenskyy and his "government" in the negotiations, this should help to dispel that confusion.  And a celebrated Ukrainian journalist wants Trump assassinated.   Personally, I say let them fight it out, and let Europe enter in or not.  Europe no longer matters.

There's no fixing stupid, and we need to leave NATO since it was created to prevent the Soviet Union from conquering Europe.  The Soviet Union no longer exists, and now we know the Russian military bear is just a Teddy Bear, and Europe has nothing to fear. Let's take our marbles and go home, and I think that's in the works as Trump is bringing 35,000 American troops home from Germany, and tell Europe to shove it.  They no longer matter, Europe is heading from a second rate continent to a third rate continent.  The cold war is over, and they're no longer the center of geopolitical concern.  It's shifting to the Middle East, and Trump has made it clear, ‘Not a Single Hamas Member Will Be Safe if You Don’t Do as I Say’.

The Democrats are nuts, as Trump address to Congress demonstrated, and now there are questions being asked whether or not Biden actually was signing documents, or even knew about them.  And given the strange people he pardoned and nominated for critical roles in the judiciary, I don't believe he had any idea about a lot that was going on.  Even Speaker Johnson acknowledged Biden wasn't aware of an executive order he allegedly signed.  And now there are those who are asking could laws “signed” by Dementia Joe be voided?  Personally, I think that's a stretch to believe that can happen. 

It's my contention the Federal government is filled with people who have a treasonous mindset. The FBI has arrested two individuals for selling classified material to China, and those who've been leaking information about immigration raids, has been identified, and if convicted face up to ten years in prison.   And they're not just in the federal government. 

Not all illegal aliens need to be arrested and deported.  Some are self deporting, like the one who was an aide for Alexandria Ocrazio-Cortex. And while I don't know for sure, it seems to me there's every indication she was aware of it, and if that's true, then she's committed a crime. 

Democrat run cities are a disaster, and the sanctuary cities are even worse.  Congress has made it clear that's unacceptable, as Democratic mayors were rebuked in Congress over immigration stance, and now twenty states are suing the federal government for firing so many people. Why?  It will adversely impact their economy.  What about what's good for the nation?

The price of eggs is high because we're insanely following Biden's policy to slaughter 150 million chickens”,.....“They spent billions of dollars randomly killing chickens within a perimeter where they found a sick chicken.”

Trump purged the leftist management at the Kennedy Center and a lot of celebrities pumped their chests and proclaimed with great moral indignation they refused to appear there any longer.  Well, who cares?  Now Trump has appointed Laura Ingraham, Maria Bartiromo to the Kennedy Center board, and I've no doubt the new board will find great entertainment, and an audience that enjoys it.  These celebrities still don't get it.  They don't count. 

And finally, Transgender Americans are leaving the country.  Wow!  I guess that means we're doomed.  Right?  Except perhaps this woman may not think so.  I think that's a story that needs watching.  Transgender people are permanent patients, and to maintain the gender image they desire requires expensive chemistry, and medical care.  So it will be interesting to see just how well they fare elsewhere, especially in nations that are being consumed by Muslim immigrants, have socialized medicine, or are having serious economic issues. 

 

I'm planning on addressing an issue that's not being focused on nearly as much as it should be.  Judicial overreach.  

So many decisions by SCOTUS over the last century undermined the Constitutional structure but it was understood there needed to be a general attitude of acceptance in order to have a stable government.   That’s now out of control, as the courts are now more arrogantly than ever usurping the power of the Legislative, and the Executive branches.

The fact is, the federal judiciary has no Constitutional enforcement power, that belongs “exclusively” to the Executive branch. The courts cannot force the President or the Congress to do anything. The Executive has the power force the Legislative to follow the law, but not the courts.  If the Executive, the President of the United States, tells the judiciary to shove it, they can't do a thing about it.  Only the Congress can, and that's via impeachment.  But if Trump did that and was impeached, he'd win, and any Republican who voted for his impeachment will not be able to hold their seat in either House. Even the RINO’s can see the storm on the horizon over the weaponization and politicization of the legal system, and it’s going to be a hurricane. 

A Constitutional confrontation with the judiciary is long overdue. The Congress and the President need to undo the failure of the founding fathers, lifetime appointments, and failing to define exactly what the responsibilities and limits of the federal judiciary are. The Constitution gives the Congress the right to determine their jurisdiction. Judicial supremacy is a myth created by the judiciary, and it’s time to end that permanently with a Constitutional Amendment.

In this week's edition I have nine commentaries of my own, and I think they're pretty good, and sixteen from others.   Some of the authors I regularly publish have views I really don't agree with, whether it's economics or social commentary, so I don't publish those pieces, and for some reason there was a lot of that this week.

Have a great weekend, and best wishes, 

Rich

My Commentaries

1. Cartoon Roundup
2. P&D Geopolitics Edition: Russo/Ukranian War, and Donald Trump
3. Some Things Can't Be Walked Back
4. Media Collapse is Inevitable, and it's a Good Morning in America! Part VIII
5. Media Collapse is Inevitable, and it's a Good Morning in America! Part IX
6. Democrats: Is That All You Got?
7. The Democrat's Palatine Hill, and The Seven Hills of Rome
8. The Wake up Call for Zelenskyy and Company
9. The Rape of Civilization

Commentaries

1. Four Democratic Mayors Under Fire for Sanctuary City Status By Kay Ballard
2. From the Back Forty: Heartlanders Cheer for the Trump-Vance Varsity Sarah Cowill
3. Stacey Abrams: Still Crooked After All These Years By Susan Daniels
4. Media Balance Newsletter (March 3, 2025) By John Droz, Jr.
5. How the Media Killed Itself  By Daniel Greenfield
6. There Won’t Be Peace in Ukraine  By Daniel Greenfield
7. Trading Soybeans for Computers By Daniel Greenfield
8. Hollywood Hates Jews  By Daniel Greenfield
9. Events From the Nation, and Around the World By Robin Itzler
10. Points to Ponder By Robin Itzler
11. One Racist Replaced by Three Racists By Robin Itzler
12. Elect Mike Morrell CAGOP ChairmanBy Robin Itzler
13. The Greatest Scientific Fraud Of All Time -- Part XXXIII By Francis Menton
14. Bureaucrats Against Bambi, Part V By Dan Mitchell
15. Taxation Changes Behavior…and History By Dan Mitchell
16. Yes, Social Security Is a Ponzi Scheme By Dan Mitchell

Permanent Links

1. 45 Communist Goals to Destroy America as Listed in the 1963 Congressional Record
2. My Seven Rules of Geopolitics
3. The John Boyd Legion of Honor

 No matter what anyone says, you can’t marginalize the truth!  You can suppress it, you can ignore it, you can avoid it, you can attempt to undermine it, you can attempt to subvert it, you can attempt to organize against it, you can even laugh at it, but if we have the courage and the fortitude to stand and confront the lies, irrespective of the personal costs, the truth will stand the test of time, because truth and time are on the same side.

Constant as the North Star

This Game Has a New Dealer

By Rich Kozlovich  Tags: P&D Geopolitics Edition: Russo/Ukrainian War, and Donald Trump, My Russo/Ukrainian War Series, Putin,

 

Trump has been negotiating with Putin to bring this Russo/Ukrainian War to an end, and he's calling it, “Zelenskyy’s war”.  That's just nuts, this is Putin’s war, and his excuses for starting it are pathetic. And none of this could have happened if it wasn’t for Joe Biden stealing the election via massive voter fraud, which I happily substantiate with My Voter Fraud Commentaries.  As a result of his insane energy policies shutting down production, even buying oil from Venezuela, that gave Putin carte blanche to supply energy to Europe.  That funded Putin’s war.  

However, that wouldn’t have been a problem if Europe’s leaders hadn’t gone insane, aka, green, and bought into the Net Zero global warming lies leaving them vulnerable to Russian energy supplies.   They’re either stupid, crazy..... or .... I opt for both.

If the Ukrainian government hadn’t been one of, if not the most corrupt government in Europe, they could have easily provided for adequate defenses to thwart any Russian invasion. And if there are all these wealth building natural resources there, as is being reported, why didn’t they develop them long before this and become a very wealthy nation?  A nation capable of buying or building a huge defensive capacity that would have thwarted any invasion.

Russia has been at this since 2014 they had to know it was coming, and Putin would have known those defensive capabilities were in place, and this would have never happened. But you can’t corruptly line your pockets and meet the needs of the nation at the same time, and it seems perfectly clear that’s what has been happening all these years.

From the beginning my view is this is Europe’s problem, let them fix it or not, if they don’t it’s on them. If they do, it’s still on them, we have no skin in this game. If you’re a moral person you must feel compassion for the people of Ukraine, the same people who suffered the death of millions at Stalin’s hands, but if you’re a rational person, you must realize Ukraine isn't our fault, nor is it our responsibility!  All this talk about Europe sending troops there …. well …. it’s too late now.

As for all these demands by Europe that America keep sending untraceable billions and even putting boots on the ground, well, that just ain’t gonna happen.

Ukraine is lost, no matter what deal is struck.  Bretton Woods is over, we don’t have the money, and a great many of us don’t have the desire, to bail them out, nor care what happens to Europe.  It's time for America to cut the umbilical cord for Europe's defense, and I don't care how hysterical they get over the positions taken by Vice President Vance and Secretary of Defense Hegseth.   They no longer have a say, they're incapable of coming to the table with any worthwhile solutions.

On Monday French President Emmanuel Macron hosted an emergency summit of selected continental leaders, which generated abundant kvetching but little more.   Ukraine and its European advocates warn of a new Dark Age if the U.S. makes peace with Russia, as President Donald Trump is trying to do. Even worse, NATO members fear the loss of their heretofore presumed birthright to defense by America. Governments which have repeatedly claimed that Kiev’s defeat would invite a reformed Red Army to march to the Atlantic are preparing new excuses for failing to spend more on defense. The spectacle resembles a theatrical farce.

For decades they’ve arrogantly and stupidly looked down their noses at the nation that spent untold gallons of blood and trillions of dollars to save them during two world wars and one cold war. A continent that would crash economically overnight if we ended all trade with them. And these snots think they have a right to tell us what’s acceptable?   

 

Zelensky’s says he won't accept any deal in which he's not a party to ...... says the man who ended elections in Ukraine in order to stay in power..... well....okay with me.... you're on your own.  But he faces a disgruntled population that's fleeing Ukraine, and a military force that badly depleted and can't be replaced, inadequate arms, much of which has ended up on the black market, he has no resources he can use and his infrastructure is largely destroyed.  Well.... good luck with that.   

 

Let's also understand this whole thing:

1. There are no good guys in this mess.
2. Both Zelenskyy and Putin are corrupt beyond belief tyrants.
   
3. Putin is most assuredly a murderous thug and if he's ever kicked out, he's dead, and he knows it. 
4. Europe is a spent force that has embraced every insanity there is that’s destroying their nations, their culture, and their economy, and it won’t be long before the EU collapses and it’s a toss up which will go belly up first, France, Italy, or Greece.   Europe is doomed, and I don’t care, since their doom is coming about the “old fashioned way, they earned it”. 
5. As for Russia and China, when the EU crashes, they’ll be following right behind them. 
6. Trump knows no matter what happens, Russia loses, China loses, Ukraine loses, Europe  loses.....and we win.  

We don't need them, they need us. 

• Update, 2/21,1:22PM:   This article The Trump Strategy for Ukraine by Jacob Fraden enumerates just how bad Zelenskyy really is, and substantiates all I've said. RK

 

Biden Officials Edging Toward Nuclear Reckoning Over Ukraine

White House advisers are thinking about what could lead to the unthinkable.

by Dave Patterson | Nov 26, 2024 @ Liberty Nation News, Tags: Articles, Military Affairs, Opinion

Inside the Biden White House, after more than 1,000 days of brutal conflict in Ukraine, officials at some level are considering a new strategy. It appears the “as-long-it-takes” approach is taking too long, and President-elect Donald Trump’s national security team is readying to take over. It seems Joe Biden’s coterie of official geopolitical thinkers is floating the notion of providing nuclear weapons to Ukraine.

Biden Officials Offer Unthinkable Solution

These conversations were a reaction to what current members of NATO and Biden’s national security team anticipate is Trump’s intention to secure a negotiated peace in Ukraine. The question on the table is if peace in Ukraine is predicated on an agreed-to ceasefire, how is the ceasefire guaranteed? One answer was posited in an Off the Press post that referred to a New York Times article, “Trump’s Vow to End the War Could Leave Ukraine With Few Options”:

“So, US and European officials are discussing deterrence as a possible security guarantee for Ukraine, such as stockpiling a conventional arsenal sufficient to strike a punishing blow if Russia violates a ceasefire. Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could return nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were taken from it after the fall of the Soviet Union. That would be an instant and enormous deterrent. But such a step would be complicated and have serious implications.”

These are the kinds of conversations that go on when there are no adults in the room. The concept of returning nuclear weapons suggests that, as a member of the former Warsaw Bloc countries, Ukraine had autonomy in the employment of atomic warheads. In fact, these were Soviet Union-era weapons that belonged to and were under the command and control of the Kremlin, or so it was thought.

New evidence, however, suggests Ukraine had more control over the use of the weapons than originally believed. “These records cut sharply against the rationale for this historical resignation: that Ukraine was incapable of the technical means of operating nuclear weapons and that such weapons wouldn’t do much for its security even if it could,” The National Interest reported. Ukraine was sacrificing its security in the interest of international guarantees. Nonetheless, those weapons were removed from Ukraine in 1994 in compliance with the Security Assurances in Connection With Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Countries that signed the treaty, also called the Budapest Memorandum, were the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the United States, and Northern Ireland. The memorandum effectively declared that if Kyiv gave up the nuclear weapons stored in Ukraine, the signatories of the non-proliferation agreement would “refrain from threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.” Well, obviously, the Russian Federation violated the treaty. Moscow has a long history of engaging in such violations.

What Will Putin Do?

The lunacy of threatening to introduce modern nuclear weapons, which is what they would be, presumably since bringing back the original weapons is not possible, is mind-boggling. Who would have command and control over these weapons? With a ceasefire violation by Russia, wouldn’t Ukraine be more likely to resort to using the nuclear weapons if it could? And if operational control of the weapons remained with the United States or some other nuclear NATO nation, by whose authority would they be used? The lack of will displayed by the United States and NATO so far indicates the weapons would not be employed. So where is the deterrence value?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use the Kremlin’s tactical nuclear arsenal based on a reduced threshold, and now NATO and US national security officials believe he will back down and be deterred if Ukraine once again is a nuclear nation. This comes from Biden officials whose constant mantra has been, “Don’t do anything that would escalate the conflict.”

Bored? Check This Out!

When the United States provided longer range capability for Kyiv to strike targets deeper inside Russia, Putin reacted strongly. “Putin has warned, even before releasing the revised nuclear doctrine, that the use of long-range missiles supplied by the West to attack Russia would constitute war,” Liberty Nation News reported. Imagine Moscow’s reaction even if the return of nuclear weapons to Ukraine were under the guise of ensuring a ceasefire. Did anyone actually think through musing about the deterrent effect of returning nuclear warheads to Ukraine? The United States and select NATO countries have nuclear-capable weapons in Europe. Installing some in Ukraine would be unnecessary atomic belt and suspenders.

Trump is going to have enough on his plate negotiating an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine without unnamed US officials sitting around spit-balling about deploying nukes to Ukraine. Such thinking is dangerous and the act of desperation by an administration in the death throes of a failed foreign policy. Worse yet, Putin might consider such notions to be authentic US and NATO planning and use such ravings as a pretext for reacting in a dangerous manner. Did anyone on the Biden team even consider this catastrophic possibility?

The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.

~

Liberty Nation does not endorse candidates, campaigns, or legislation, and this presentation is no endorsement.

Read More From Dave Patterson National Security Correspondent

Let's Try and Get This Right, Just Once, Please! The Russo/Ukrainian War is All Putin's Fault!

By Rich Kozlovich Tags: P&D Geopolitics Edition: Russo/Ukrainian War, and Donald Trump

 

I've taken the position this war was created by Europe, let Europe fix it or not, but I really am sick of this clabber about how the west forced Putin to attack. That's simply nonsense, he's been pulling this crap for decades on his neighbors.

One writer claimed Putin was forced to attack because feared the loss of Ukraine to the West. How could Russia lose Ukraine? Russia didn't own Ukraine, so how could they lose it?  Ukraine wanted to be part of the E.U. and join NATO, and any clabber about Russia being afraid of NATO is strictly propaganda to justify his aggression in these former Soviet states.

Russia Was Scared, So They Had to Attack Ukraine! Part I
Russia Was Scared So They Had to Attack Ukraine, Part II

 It's called revanche, the desire to require lost territory. Everything else is horsepucky!!!!!

This Russo/Ukrainian War is About Revanche, not World Conquest

So many writers will post some good stuff over this conflict, and what needs to be done, and then ruin everything by coming back and blaming the wrong people for this mess. One writer nonsensically claimed:

 "There has been enough recklessness in our relations with Russia over the past decade, starting with the Maidan coup that was engineered by Victoria Nuland."   

The Maidan coup was engineered by Victoria Nuland?  What nonsense, while it's true the US supported this effort for freedom by Ukrainians, this is all ....every bit of it.... on Putin!!  

 Ukraine Isn't Our Fault, Nor is it Our Responsibility!

Let's stop this clabber how the west forced his aggression on Ukraine.  The Maidan revolution was triggered by the government's abandon of the Ukraine constitution by then President Yanukovych, who years earlier the Russians tired to assassinate by poisoning him with dioxin, and they were sick of the corruption, the abuse of power, the impact of Ukrainian oligarchs on their economy, police abuse of power, all of which entailed human rights violations, all of which were extended through the revolution. 

Ultimately what did Russia do as a result of this effort in freedom?  Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea.  Putin's rules.  Stay obedient or I will invade.  Don't do anything that may diminish Russian influence, or I will invade.

It's the Balkans Again!
P&D Geopolitical Edition: Russo/Ukrainian War, Strategy
Economics and the Russo/Ukrainian War
Decisions Clouded by the Fog of Misdirection, Misinformation and Ideology
P&D Today

This entire mess is all on him. If you really want to extend the blame to stupid Europeans who embraced green energy insanity, or Biden for destroying American energy independence, all of which put the Europeans at the Russian's mercy causing a rise in energy costs and ultimately funded Putin's invasion, then I will give you that. Otherwise.....this is all on Putin, period. 

 

News and Views

By Rich Kozlovich 

 

As usual I go through my watch list and add a lot of article links to my draft file... daily... and they do get out of hand so I create gazettes that not only act as informational sources, they create files that allow me, and anyone who wishes to do so, to track the history of the events, the people involved in those events, what the issues were all about, and the outcomes.   Good conclusions can only come about with good historical foundations.  

Global warming has been the hot topic for years, and in spite of the vast amount of information showing it's a gigantic scientific hoax, and a fraud, the nitwits are still touting it.  John Kerry is among the foremost nitwits.   The nation dodged a bullet when this loon "reported for duty" to be President and wasn't elected.

The WEF is demanding people stop growing their food at home.....to stop global warming, because .... now get this..... professional agriculture has a smaller carbon footprint, and the "scientists" who were funded by WEF provided a study to prove it.  So who cares, the world stopped the small amount of warming that was occurring 25 years ago, and the carbon foot print has grown substantially all that time, so the carbon foot print must not matter.   

Do these misfits really believe the things they're saying?  Now that the world is going to embrace AI and quantum computing it requires ....MASSIVE...amounts of energy !  Far beyond what we're producing now, and so far beyond what all these idiotic "alternative" environmentally destructive energy schemes are capable of producing. 

 Billionaire, Eric Schmidt, insisted because of global warming, we were  doomed.....doooomed I tell you....at least that was then.  But apparently that's not so true any more.  Amazing, and why is that?  He has now decided to abandon that profound moral outrage because he's become an arms dealer selling AI-powered drones to fight robotic wars, and AI, as stated, requires a lot of energy, and besides he notes by way of justification, “we’re not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we’re not organized to do it”, so apparently he wants to get all he can get right now, and no longer worries about his grandchildren. 

And guess who's on board with him on that?  Mister (globalism is beautiful, all leftism is good and pure, reduce the world's population, eat bugs to save the world from global warming himself) Bill Gates.  Remarkable!   Conclusion? None of these misfits believe any of this claptrap.  

Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor who isn't really a federal prosecutor is attempting to do an end run around the SCOTUS presidential immunity ruling, in a clear attempt to impact the outcome of the election.  And Democrats are demanding Alito's recusal for.... well... it really densest' matter for what, since it's the same old tune with the same kind of nitwits pushing the same kind of hypocritical reasoning.

Why do Americans fall for this stuff?  Kevin Finn posted this artilce, How does the Left do it?, listing 12 bullet points on just how destructive the Democrat party is to America, condluing by saying:

And despite all these things and more, some people still support them. How bad does it have to get? How badly must some people be made to suffer before they wake up?

As I've often said you can't reason people out of positions they've not been reasoned into, but they can be scared out of those positions. Then who do they turn to when they get scared? They turn to the Winston Churchill's of the world, the doers and fixers, versus the Neville Chamberlains, the go along to get along feel good guys that create these messes in the first place, and they're ubiquitous.

But once their fears have been ameliorated, what do they do? Just as quickly as possible they dump the doers and fixers for the go along to get along feel good nitwits that created the mess in the first place, and it starts all over again. 

Take Arizona for instance. It's become so infested with former California residents who were feeling the taxes, regulations, crime, violence, and the gigantic mess leftists created there, and now they're turning Arizona into another California, a far left disaster just like the one they fled. 

Kamala and Hillary were chosen to be the Presidential candidates for the Democrats and neither of them had any notable achievements.   Both came to power via the men they were involved with.  Hillary with Billy, and Kamala by sleeping with a much older married man who was a political power in California, and the question everyone should be asking is this.  Is their bench so lacking that's the best they can do? Answer? Yes, that's the best they can do.

Then we have the former governor of Maryland running for the Senate and when I did my Senate election analysis in February I gave that seat to the Republicans, but since then he's confirmed  he will  ‘absolutely’ vote to certify election results, with no questions asked, made it clear if Trump is elected he will fight Trump every step of the way, and told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday that if elected, he would only vote for Supreme Court nominees who receive bipartisan support, regardless of who becomes the next president.  Which means only Democrat approved nominees. 

I'm inclined to think a lot of Republicans may think it's better to have the adversaries outside the wall rather than inside, polluting the mind of their fellow Republicans, which in some cases won't take much.  I'm also convinced any conservatives living in Maryland will simply refuse to vote for this John McCain clone, just as conservatives refused to vote for McCain.  I've decided this seat will remain Democrat.

People are what they do, not what they say, and is it any wonder so when it comes to Pope Francis who made a gay rights advocate a Cardinal, many Catholics keep asking, "who picked this guy".

Think about this.  In the last few years the Democrats have picked three losers as their candidate for President. Hillary, an incompetent, vile unliked and unlikable human being as there ever was one, with no accomplishments other than being married to Bill, a true test of tolerance, Joe Biden who no one thought he was the brightest pebble in the brook, and Kamala, another unliked and unlikable mess who's biggest accomplishment was her political advancement which came about by sleeping with a politically powerful married man.

The question everyone should be asking is this.  Is their bench so empty that's the best they can do?  Answer?  Yes!

There's a lot of talk about Trump's tariffs versus free trade, and much of it's hyperbole with cries about the American consumer.  But we need to grasp this.  Everything is about "the basics" and understand there are outright economic reason to impose and dispose of tariffs. And there are outright political reasons to impose them or dispose of them. If Richard Nixon hadn't opened up China to world trade the economic mess created by Mao as a result of his "cultural revolution" would have most likely sunk the CCP.

When Kissinger went to China and was sitting with Mao and Zhou Enlai, Mao's head butcher, Kissinger said the nice thing about all this is we don't want anything from each other. Mao said if I didn't want something from you, I wouldn't have invited you, and if you didn't want something from me, you shouldn't have come. I was never impressed with Kissinger, the Tallyrand of the 20th century, and what Mao wanted was to save himself and the CCP at the civilized world's expense.

It's time to reimpose those economic conditions on China, Russia, Iran, and any nation that proves to be a threat to civilization, and stop funding their military and economic efforts to destroy us. Trade agreements are about what's good for America's economy, and that doesn't necessarily mean it should be good for American multinational corporations, who on the best of days are leaky vessels as allies, and would sell the nation down the river for a good quarterly report, leading to bankruptcy and/or conquest.  Neither is good for the American consumer. 

These kind of policies require something on the order of Col. John Boyd's strategic military concept, OODA loop. Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. Which means paying attention and making whatever adjustments are necessary as circumstances change in order to attain necessary goals. It should be a matter of hard goals combined with flexible strategy.  I would be far more worried about regulations, which drive up prices, which drive up costs, which drives up wages, and creates larger more oppressive government.  Add outrageous spending and all this becomes a vanguard to dystopia.   

And what's Kamala's solution?  Equality of outcome!    

The competent to high achievers lose their incentive to produce at above average levels. Many will grow discouraged, put forth less effort, and slide into mediocrity -- or worse. And the "loafers" learn that they will be rewarded over and above what they earn. They will see no need to improve......Productivity and quality workmanship drops, the economy tanks, and the living standards for most of us "go down with the ship." Alas, there are reasons why state-controlled socialist or communist economies with equality of outcome as a goal are inferior to those in the relatively free market West, which while imperfect, still has substantially more respect for (and realization of) equality of opportunity.

I owned a pest control company for many years, and was involved in my industry's affairs, and even the nation's trade associations are pushing this DEI insanity, losing sight of the mission for which they were created. I said this a long time ago, and it's as true today as it was then:

"Diversity without accomplishment is philosophy without form and incompetence without consequence".

The Inevitability Factor: When Reality Reaches It's Apex! - America isn't perfect, but America has never offered perfection.  What America offered, with all our historical warts and moles, is the most acceptable imperfection.  As a result American republican democratic capitalism brought more people out of misery and suffering than any system in the history of the world.

That's a foundational truth! 

One thing is clear as a bell, Netanyahu gets it, and he always did, it just took this vile October 7th attack for force everyone else in Israel to get it, and Netanyahu was right to rebuke France’s Macron.

If you saw the Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot", you'll remember in one scene when discussing France's aid to the revolution, his character snorts in disgust saying, "the French", and I laughed when he did that. Let's try and get this about the French using this illustration.

"Once you drop a hammer in a gravity field (positive meaning it pulls downwards), you instantly know it is falling towards the ground, even before it actually hits, because the force of gravity is acting on it and pulling it down, regardless of whether you see it land or not; the act of releasing it is enough to confirm its descent."

People's character is defined by their history, and can be just as definitive as the effect of gravity, and French history is replete with actions that give more than enough reason not to trust anything they say or agree to.  Trusting the French is like believing the tooth fairy really leaves money under your pillow.

That's especially so since France is now so heavily infested with Muslims the city of Lyon has a 30 percent Muslim population, and the French are bending to that population's demand they accept sharia ..... or else... and they're doing so out of fear, and Macron is doing little about it.  

Macron is intellectually vacuous, since it appears he refuses to see that Israels is the canary in the coal mine, and France will be among their next victims. Or.... maybe he just want's stay in power and will happily sell Israel and France down the river to do so, but once Muslims take over, he will be lucky to survive.  

Once you turn monsters loose on society no one is safe, just like this former governor of NY was assaulted in Manhattan.  

Finally,  Russian sentences 72-year-old American to nearly 7 years in prison for fighting in Ukraine. My first thought this was a set up, but it turns out he really was there fighting.  My second thought then was:  What in the world was that nitwit thinking?