W. Niederhut

Well, I'm shocked to see that Ben has completely ignored the latest news about Elon Musk's selective, partisan leakage of the "Twitter Files." Instead of responding to the new information, Ben posted a YouTube video of Michael Schellenberger-- the right wing propagandist who collaborated in Matt Taibbi's partisan coverage of the "Twitter Files." Talk about a MAGA echo chamber... Here's more on Schellenberger's involvement in Elon Musk's "Twitter Files" scam. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3770483-american-author-michael-shellenberger-releases-twitter-files-part-4/

Nonsense. I, for one, never claimed or believed that the U.S. and NATO weren't involved in sabotaging the Nordstream pipeline. You have also falsely implied that this was done for the sake of U.S. Big Oil profiteers, rather than as a military objective on behalf of defending Ukraine from Russian military atrocities. In the process, you completely glossed over my detailed comments to Chris (above) on the subject of the Nordstream sabotage, in the context of reducing revenue for Putin's brutal invasion and bombing of civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine. Can you, at least, acknowledge the fact that Putin is committing war crimes in Ukraine, and that he has converted the Russian Federation's nascent Yeltsin-era democracy into a totalitarian police state since 2000? That Putin's FSB thugs have routinely murdered journalists and critics? What do you imagine to be the fate of Ukrainians in the event of a Russian military occupation? You seem to have no awareness or concerns about Putin's crimes against humanity and his contempt for democracy. Nor do you Putin apologists understand the dark history of Stalinism, and its relationship with 21st century Putinism.

Ron, This is interesting. I had never heard about Hank Williams' sermonizing alter ego, Luke the Drifter, before. Wikipedia has a good article on the subject. * I bought an anthology of Hank Williams' greatest hits a few years ago, after reading Bob Dylan's comments about Hank Williams in Chronicles, (Dylan has a high opinion of Hank Williams as a songwriter) but none of the songs in my anthology are Luke the Drifter songs recorded from 1950-52. Thanks for sharing this. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams_as_Luke_the_Drifter

Chris, I'm responding to your points here (in red.) Chris wrote: Thanks William. You’re making the case that sabotage is ethical in this situation, that you support your country in doing so (Biden/USA). With this ‘greater good’ philosophy of yours which places paramount importance on ensuring Ukraine remains democratic. Is there any cost that would be too great for you to proceed with this righteous stand? My point about Nordstream is that it was a source of funding for Putin's genocidal war in Ukraine. Putin is committing mass murder of civilians in Ukraine with missiles and drones. Is it ethical in this situation to establish a blockade on his military resources and funding? - The destruction of Europe or the world via nuclear exchange? I watched Kubrick’s “Dr Strangelove” the other night, might be worth some others here taking a look. Are you naive enough to imagine that I am not familiar with Dr. Strangelove and Cold War history? As for 2023, is it judicious to allow Putin to successfully engage in nuclear blackmail against Europe-- to simply let the bully have his way? And I noticed that you didn't comment on Putin's threats to nuke the U.K., other than criticizing Boris Johnson. - Causing the pensioners and impoverished peoples of Europe to choose between food and heat this winter or any subsequent winter. How many will die? There was already an economic catastrophe because of ill advised C19 protocols. Is democracy worth defending? And at what cost? Perhaps Biden and the U.S. military should have left that Nordstream issue up to you Europeans. But we Americans waited too long to intervene against Hitler, and you Europeans paid a high price for our isolationism prior to 1942. (Incidentally, my father fought with the U.S. 753rd Tank Battalion for the entire duration of U.S. military action against Hitler-- from North Africa to Sicily, Rome, France, and into Germany at the war's end. Over 70% of his original comrades in his battalion from Fort Hood, Texas were killed in WWII.) - Causing the young boys of Europe to be conscripted for some grotesque NATO Russo war, which could leave the West exposed and China to take military initiative in the East? Is Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy worth defending? And at what cost, in your opinion? The whole concept of destroying the pipeline because it will save democracy is not thought through. Russia just turned east and began trading with new markets, which is why its now outstripping the German and British economies in terms of growth. Thats happening in contrast to MSM telling us repeatedly last year that the sanctions will be ruinous for Russia. Not really. I have read that the Russian economy is on the verge of collapse. Your former profession was as a psychiatrist (or you’re still practicing). What did your studies tell you happens when a tyrant is put in a corner? A better question is, "What happens when bullies get away with bullying people? How did that work out for Neville Chamberlain after Munich? Regarding your nuclear question about threats from Russia. What happens if you put a snake in a corner? It shows you its teeth. I don’t see a nation with a withered military capability doing much else. Putin can withdraw from Ukraine. No one is putting that snake in a corner. Of course Putin is openly contemptuous of “Western Democracy” as he thinks its an illusion. He has referenced the imploding/fall of the west periodically. I wonder how much of that is because the West treats him with contempt? Or because is in decline? The fall of the West? Get real. My grandparents were from Slovenia, and I visited there before the fall of communism in 1990. Like other former communist countries in Eastern Europe, it is far more prosperous in the EU. I can’t agree on your definitions. How can you possible call Ukraine a democracy when it had a Western backed coup d’etat, replacing a democratically elected leader 8 years ago and, has been ethnic cleansing a proportion of its society of Russian heritage since? It tolerates and celebrates actual National Socialist’s/fascists living in the country. How is that an example of democracy? The people vote for the wrong candidate and you remove that leader? Then bomb some democracy into them for 8 years killing 14,000 people and let the National Socialist’s hunt them? Does that sound like Solon will be calling out from his grave in ancient Greece and saying “nice job guys, just what I intended” ? Yanukovych was an utterly corrupt Kremlin puppet. Yulia Timoshenko was a political prisoner. Zelensky was elected by a plurality of voters. He's Jewish. How can his government be considered "National Socialist?" Meanwhile, Putin's Russian Federation has become a fascist, totalitarian police state in the 21st century. Putin even has his own Russian version of the Hitler Youth. He murders journalists and opposition politicians, and his thugs beat up gay rights protesters. He bombs civilian apartment buildings and playgrounds in Ukraine. If you're looking for Yahtzees, Putin is your man. My grandfather, great grandfathers, great uncles all fought too for the allies (Allies). You referencing that is false equivalence. As stated many times earlier in the thread, the US / NATO are the dominant force expanding their sphere of influence, they were already at Russias borders to the west, militarising. False equivalence? My dad was permanently deaf from fighting the N-a-z-i-e-s in a tank battalion from 1943-45 on your behalf. You're welcome. As for NATO, their primary mission in Europe was an outgrowth of Churchill and FDR's Atlantic Charter--to preserve democracy in Europe from Soviet totalitarianism. And our Marshall Plan helped Western Europe rebuild and prosper after it was destroyed by the N-a-z-i-e-s. In contrast, the Soviet Bloc was oppressed and impoverished. What did the U.S.S.R. (or the Russian Federation) ever do for you guys--after defeating the N-a-z-i Wehrmacht? You are mislabeling our defense of democracy in Europe as American imperialism. The NATO/West’s military is enormous, their resources are so vast. They’ve directly broken accords they made and agitated this very situation that could have been avoided. If the truth be known, the USA doesn’t want Europe buying Russian energy, it wants Europe buying US energy and being dependant on the USA. Its hardly hidden this idea agenda, William. I think you're wrong to interpret our defense of Ukrainian sovereignty as an economic agenda. We're spending billions of our own U.S. taxpayer resources to help Ukraine, just as we did to bail you guys out in WWI and WWII. If you guys cared about Ukrainians; you wouldn’t be cheerleading them until their country is ashes and the children are orphans. It doesn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again or bring back loved ones from the dead by saying “It was Putin’s fault”. As an Orthodox Christian, I am deeply aggrieved by Putin's massacre of both Ukrainians and Russians. This war has been deeply depressing for me. But I mainly blame Putin.

About time. I never understood why the Congressional J6 Committee took a hands off approach to Pence. They did question Marc Short. Pence was, obviously, privy to Trump and Eastman's plot to obstruct the certification of Biden's election.

Chris, Is democracy worth defending? How about sovereignty? Self-determination? Freedom? And at what price? And whose call is it? Should the U.S. have stayed out of this European crisis? Perhaps. In your opinion, should Ukraine and Europeans simply cave to Putin's bullying and nuclear blackmail? Should Britain have refrained from declaring war on Germany after Hitler invaded Poland in 1939?

Well, so much for Matt Taibbi's selective, partisan "coverage" of Elon Musk's "Twitter Files." There ought to be a verb for the selective "leakage" of information for partisan political purposes. Putin did it with hacked Emails during our 2016 election. Trump and Devin Nunes did it with their "Nunes Memo." Bill Barr did it with his redacted Mueller Report. Twitter Kept Entire ‘Database’ of Republican Requests to Censor Posts Elon Musk's "Twitter Files" focus on Democrats, but former administration officials and Twitter employees say Trump’s team and other Republicans routinely demanded posts be taken down Twitter Kept Entire ‘Database’ of Republican Requests to Censor Posts – Rolling Stone February 8, 2023

Chris, I posted my original comments and questions about defending democracy in Europe in response to the outrage about the sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline. First, can we agree that the Russian Federation is, in fact, a totalitarian dictatorship that is waging a brutal war on a sovereign democratic nation in Europe? That Putin has been openly contemptuous of Western democracy? Next, if Putin is funding his brutal war against a sovereign, democratic nation with revenue from the Nordstream pipeline, does it make sense to cut off that source of Russian military funding in time of war? In other words, is democracy in Europe worth defending? My father, uncles, and great uncles, certainly thought so, when they served in the U.S. military in Europe during WWI and WWII.

Chris, The answer to your question about Nordstream is implicit in my (above) question and post. Is democracy worth defending? Also, my initial question wasn't about Boris Johnson. It was about Putin threatening to nuke the U.K. Dr. Fiona Hill claims that Putin also threatened Trump with nukes. You completely sidestepped the issue of Putin's nuclear threats.

R.I.P., Mr. Bacharach... I used to sing this old Bacharach song to my daughters at bedtime, with a ukelele, when they were little girls.

John & Chris, Any thoughts about this recent story in the international news wires? Britain's Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike | Reuters Also, for those who are endorsing the narrative blaming NATO, instead of Putin, for Putin's decision to invade and bomb Ukraine, in an apparent quest for neo-Soviet lebensraum... Putin's Own Words Used Against Him in Ukraine War Debate (newsweek.com) Let's not forget that Putin and his FSB apparatchiks have murdered journalists and political opponents, while turning the Russian Federation's Yeltsin-era democracy into a totalitarian police state during the past twenty years. Amazon.com: Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West eBook : Belton, Catherine: Kindle Store Putin's Russian media is now a Yahtzee-type organ of state propaganda-- at home and abroad. And Putin, like Stalin, is openly contemptuous of Western democracy, is he not? Do Putin apologists believe that democracy and self-determination in Europe is no longer worth defending? Let's recall that FDR and Churchill's Atlantic Charter-- the origin of the NATO concept-- was rooted in the commitment to defending democracy and self-determination from totalitarianism.

Well, since posting facts for Ben is, obviously, pointless-- like singing to a mule-- I thought I would post a terrific old song for Ben, instead. Ben's favorite word is, "Donk," and the song is The Donkey Serenade, from 1936, based on a melody by the 19th century composer Rudolf Firmi. I used to listen to this recording on one of my mother's old 78 rpm records when I was a boy. Now we have YouTube. It premiered in the 1937 film, The Firefly, featuring the lovely Jeanette MacDonald, and was sung quite brilliantly by the little known Welsh American tenor, Alan Jones. I think Woody Allen included this recording in the soundtrack of his movie, Radio Days, but I'd have to check. Worth a listen.

Earth to Mathew Koch's alternate MAGA-verse... Are you guys still getting your "news" from Zero Hedge? 🤥 Democrat Destroys GOP Lies About Hunter Biden's 'Laptop' | Crooks and XXXXX Jim Jordan Makes A Case Against Himself At Twitter Hearing | Crooks and XXXXX

Breaking story... Putin's Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov wants Vlad to liberate Poland from the Polish Yahtzees after Ukraine has been liberated from Zelensky's Ukrainian Yahtzees. Of course, strategically, that would also entail liberating Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia from the Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian Yahtzees. Those of us who have attributed the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Putin's expansionist, neo-Soviet agenda have, obviously, been duped by fascist, cosmopolitan, Western propaganda. We should have realized that the real problem with Eastern European democracies is that they are Yahtzees. A key ally of Putin said he wants to invade Poland next A key ally of Putin said he wants to invade Poland next, ignoring Russia's inability to capture Ukraine (msn.com) February 8, 2023 A Putin ally said he wants to turn to Poland after Ukraine, to "de-N-a-z-i-fy and demilitarize" it. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said "I personally have such an intention."

Yes, Kirk, and Rick Scott is the Koch brother's bell hop who banned state employees from using the term, "Climate Change," when he was Governor of Florida. Meanwhile, I just found the Dark Brandon Meme-of-the-Day... 🤥

Bill, Here is George H.W. Bush's statement on signing the JFK Records Act. I'm not an attorney, but GHWB appears to be claiming Constitutional authority of the Executive to override the statutory provisions of the bill. (?) Statement on Signing the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 | The American Presidency Project (ucsb.edu) October 26, 1992

Fox News anchor John Roberts grilled Florida Sen. Rick Scott about the same plan that prompted Republicans to scream “L-i-a-r!” when President Joe Biden referenced it during the State of the Union address www.mediaite.com/news/watch-fox-anchor-pounded-rick-scott-on-same-plan-gop-screamed-xxxx-at-biden-over/ February 8, 2023 "As Biden has said before, Rick Scott isn’t the only GOP senator with a plan to sunset entitlements. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin suggested sunsetting the plans even more frequently. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel endorsed Scott’s entire plan, as did Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz."

You said it, John. Meanwhile, in the MAGA-verse, guys like Mathew Koch think MTG and the hecklers owned the libs last night... 🤥

Yeah, Ron, creeps like MTG are an embarrassment for any cause they espouse, including that of the serious 9/11 research community. Incidentally, I noticed that MTG heckled Biden during the SOTU tonight after Biden correctly pointed out that; 1) Republicans in Congress had repeatedly raised the debt ceiling for Trump, while increasing the national debt by $8 trillion in four years from 2017-21, and 2) Republicans have proposed using the debt ceiling negotiations to force funding cuts for Medicare and Social Security. MTG called Biden a l-i-a-r. He was telling the truth about both claims.

Ron, I always cringe when the mainstream media lumps science guys like the Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, and the Scholars for 9/11 Truth, into a category with various kooky" conspiracy theories." There's nothing kooky about the professors, scientists, and engineers who have taken the time to study and debunk the official U.S. government narrative about 9/11. Anyone interested should study the academic credentials and analyses of the serious 9/11 "truthers."

Well said, Denny. I had hoped that Biden would prove an exception to the rule of silence-- as the first Irish Catholic POTUS since JFK-- but no dice. Biden has been too deeply enmeshed in our military-industrial-intelligence complex for too many years. Now it looks like our only insight into the classified records might come from Tucker Carlson's mysterious "source."

This GOP balloon trope reminds me of Karl Rove's "Freedom Fries" and "waffle" tropes from 2003 and 2004. And I can understand why the GOP would prefer to focus on balloons, rather than on policy issues. Can you picture the Koch/GOP focusing, instead, on advertising their Four Free-dumbs? 1) Free-dumb from history 2) Free-dumb from science 3) Free-dumb from democracy 4) Free-dumb from Donk taxes on billionaires and corporations

Opinion | Republicans Are Coming With Knives to Gut FDR's New Deal | Common Dreams February 6, 2023

Dammit. Biden is pulling a Trump on us. If I recall correctly, when President George H.W. Bush ("Mr. George Bush of the CIA") signed the JFK Records Act in 1992, he attached a rider granting the POTUS the authority to withhold records at his own discretion.