Body of an Iranian protester, murdered in the hospital by regime gunmen. Note IV line to hand and bullet wound to forehead. Trump might have prevented this. Courtesy X (Twitter) Those familiar with this blog might recall that I have long considered Donald Trump — Benedict Donald as I now think of him (with Benedict […]
Today the world awoke to a breathtaking new reality. The Iranian regime’s efforts to develop and deploy the nuclear-tipped missile capability to “wipe Israel off the map” in a second, atomic Holocaust — and to threaten the U.S.1 — has finally and almost certainly been crushed. Israel’s non-stop (since June 13) attacks on the […]
Trump’s official portrait — a glowering MAGGOT Since I last wrote about Ukraine two weeks ago, Trump has turned bad into worse. In my mind, he’s turned MAGA into MAGGOT. On Feb. 28, he and JD Vance1 attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in a way that — almost — makes me […]
Over the past week or so, Donald Trump and key members of his administration have made clear that the U.S. is abandoning its support of Ukraine and switching sides. President Trump is throwing America’s weight in favor of Russia and its war criminal president, Vladimir Putin, the brutal invader of Ukraine. Here are the key […]
President Biden with his National Security Team in the White House Situation Room, April 13, 2024 I was going to title this post “Biden Gets It Half Right,” but on second thought it’s clear to me that the wrong part considerably outweighs the right. When, yesterday, Iran’s mullahs launched some 320 drones and cruise and […]
Pro-Gaza demonstration at Columbia University, New York City A great deal of water has spilled over the dam since I wrote about Israel’s existential struggle against Hamas following the latter’s blood-curdling attack on October 7. Because it is a truism that silence in the face of developments you dislike amounts to complicity, today I refuse […]
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (left) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer flank Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in U.S. Capitol Readers of my blog and those who follow me on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter/X), know that I regularly post two things: (1) daily generally humorous items (except Sundays) related to language or writing and […]
Wagner Group tank on the streets of Rostov-on-Don (SIBERIA painted on front — read into it what you will) Thanks to my background in Soviet/Russian affairs, I’ve been following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with enormous interest — and great sympathy for the victims of this brutal, unprovoked aggression. The lightning-fast events of the past two […]
If you’re like me, every so often you’ll find a nice graphic image in your Facebook feed, listing reasons why people like you and me should feel grateful: Because we have a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs Because our children have enough to eat Because we fall asleep in a warm […]
Bon voyage! (Courtesy Matson Navigation Company) A few days ago I spotted a funny story on Facebook that reminded me of something a very brave man, Aba Taratuta, told me back in 1978 or thereabouts, when I was on the staff of the U.S. consulate-general in Leningrad (today again known by its original name, St. […]
