In Putin’s unhinged rant at the “annexation” ceremony, he gave us some insight as to why he is so popular in MAGA-Republican circles. He know which buttons to push. He is fighting the West not to grab Ukraine but on behalf of Jesus Christ and against Satanism. He is fighting to protect the family and the idea that there are only two genders. Excerpt . . .

“Do we want to have, here, in our country, in Russia, parent number one, number two, number three instead of mom and dad – have they gone made out there? Do we really want perversions that lead to degradation and extinction to be imposed on children in our schools from the primary grades? To be drummed into them that there are various supposed genders besides women and men, and to be offered a sex change operation? Do we want all this for our country and our children? For us, all this is unacceptable, we have a different future, our own future I repeat, the dictatorship of the Western elites is directed against all societies, including the peoples of the Western countries themselves. This is a challenge for everyone. Such a complete denial of man, the overthrow of faith and traditional values, the suppression of freedom acquiring the features of a “reverse religion” [the opposite of what the religion is] – outright Satanism. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ, denouncing the false prophets, says: By their fruits you shall know them. And these poisonous fruits are already obvious to people – not only in our country, in all countries, including many people in the West itself.”

https://tinyurl.com/ynr5a9xz

This opinion piece in the Washington Post was written by the imprisoned Alexei Navalny. He is the Russian opposition leader who after narrowly surviving a Putin poison job, returned to Russia to continue his protests. He is now in the Gulag.

He goes beyond arguing that Putin must be defeated in Ukraine. He takes as a given that “Ukraine must remain an independent democratic state capable of defending itself.”

He goes beyond regime change as a goal for the West. The removal of Putin is not enough. “No long-term goals can be achieved without a plan to ensure that the source of the problems stops creating them. Russia must cease to be an instigator of aggression and instability. That is possible, and that is what should be seen as a strategic victory in this war.”

His hope for a peaceful and prosperous Russia is its transformation from fascism to parliamentary democracy. The West he says should shape its policy and rhetoric to advance that goal.

He provides this background for the current war . . .

“First, jealousy of Ukraine and its possible successes is an innate feature of post-Soviet power in Russia; it was also characteristic of the first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin. But since the beginning of Putin’s rule, and especially after the Orange Revolution that began in 2004, hatred of Ukraine’s European choice, and the desire to turn it into a failed state, have become a lasting obsession not only for Putin but also for all politicians of his generation.”

https://tinyurl.com/43u6t2c6

The probability of so many fatal “accidents” happening to important Russian figures in such a short amount of time has become vanishingly small. It absolutely smacks of Putin holding on to power by murdering anyone he suspects of anything less than total loyalty.

https://tinyurl.com/44uaddze

Jake Sullivan is President Biden’s National Security Adviser. He sat down this morning for an interview on Meet the Press. I found his answers, presentation and clear thinking to be very reassuring in a time of international crisis and nuclear bluster. I recommend listening to the full interview.

https://tinyurl.com/bddmcmj8

You have probably heard about this, here he is saying it – The President can de-classify documents with his mind. He does not have to follow any process. Using this special power he de-classified EVERYTHING he sent to Mar-a-Lago. (Or did he just publicly admit that he absconded with classified documents?)

Two other gems in this Hannity segment.

1. The National Archives is a “radical left” organization.
2. The FBI may have raided Mar-a-Lago in search of her emails!

MAGA-Republicans must be so proud of their Dear Leader!

This election-denying jackass has nothing to offer so he plays THIS card? Wow! Thanks Trump. And I mean that most sincerely. Leave it to deplorable MAGA-Republican primary voters to nominate this fellow instead of a Republican with a fighting chance to win.

This is how real journalism is done. Respectful, factual and quietly eviscerating. Watch it. Tapper uses Mastriano’s attack on his opponent and his opponent’s children for attending a Jewish parochial school as a lead it to covering Mastriano’s close association with the founder of the notorious antisemite site – GAB.

https://tinyurl.com/ye2yttv4

So, Trump took all his bullshit about Clinton, Comey, and the FBI conspiring against him to create the “Russia Collusion Hoax” and wrapped it in a lawsuit filed in a Florida Federal Court. The judge has now thrown it out for two important reasons – (1) No coherent legal theory and (2) No evidence. Whoops.

Will such a significant failure to prove ANY of his claims cause his supporters to actually stop and think about the nonsense they keep spreading? Almost certainly not.

Life comes at you fast: pundits on Russian TV realize that their military is failing and their country is in trouble. They are starting to play the blame game. Some of them finally understand that their genocidal denial of the Ukrainian identity isn't working in Russia's favor. pic.twitter.com/jNNn5xifI5

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 11, 2022

This discussion took place on live state television in Russia. Some of the participants stuck to the party line about purging the Ukraine of Nazis but others were brave enough to speak the truth – there will be no easy victory as they were promised going in. And, if it becomes a global war, Russia will lose.

The not so latent threat from the bearded Putin supporter is quite chilling to watch. As is the implied threat of a nuclear attack on Ukraine by the moderator. One hopes that Nadezhdin and Olevich do not get defenestrated as many others have been for failing to support Putin.

https://tinyurl.com/mrx6wu7n

Ranked choice voting systems are a big step towards enhancing democracy and building consensus. So, naturally Republicans are calling them a scam because, you know, they lost.

There is growing reason to believe that the predicted Republican tsunami in November is crashing on the rocks. There was the vote in Kansas showing the impact of Dobbs. There was the special election in NY-19th. There is polling in Senate races in PA, AZ, GA, FL, NC, OH, etc. where MAGA candidates are floundering where Republicans should be winning. And now this historic victory for a Democrat in Alaska which was, I will be the first to admit, handed to the Democrats by a whiny MAGA-Republican loser.

And hanging over all this is the zombie and increasingly desperate presence of Mr. Donald Trump. The whiniest MAGA loser of them all. Thanks Trump!