Law, Power, and Justice

Join me in trying to make sense of a complicated world.

Recent Posts

  • UKRAINE UPDATE: 3:30 AM

    On Twitter @cjjohns1951

    SUNDAY 3 APRIL 2022

    CNN

    • Zelensky is criticizing Hungry for not doing enough for Ukraine.
    • Kira Rudik, interviewed: We plan to hold accountable anyone giving the orders in this war. 
    • CNN is reporting that Putin wants Donbas under control by early May.
    • Zelensky: They want Donbas and the South of Ukraine. 

    UKRAINE WORLD

    • The suffering of humans in Ukraine is immense, but also the suffering of defenseless animals breaks your heart.  There are brave, valiant people trying to save the animals captive in zoos from the horror of this attack.
    • War criminal Ramzan Kadyrov published a video of Russian soldiers distributing humanitarian assistance.  Closer examination revealed that the goods are marked in Ukrainian, therefore are either taken from stores in Ukraine or stolen from humanitarian goods being brought there by Ukraine.
    • Russian propaganda is writing that Great Britain is freezing and starving already.

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • Odesa hit by a Russian airstrike.  Ukrainian air defense shot down a part of the missiles. 
    • Near Kyiv, roads closed because of fighting.  Russians shot at cars and executed civilians at point blank then attempted to burn their bodies.
    • Ukraine Ministry of Defense reports that Russians set up a market in Belarus to sell goods looted in Ukraine.  Belarus city became the collection point for Russian military trucks with the loot from Ukraine which is then sent to Russia by express delivery.   
    • In Donetsk direction, the main efforts of Russian occupiers are focused o capturing the settlements of Rubizhne and Popasna, preparing for the attack on Severodonetsk, trying to gain full control of Mariupol as well as access to Vugledar and Marinka.   

  • UKRAINE UPDATE

    FRIDAY 1 APRIL 2022

    KYIV INDEPENDENT

    • Foreign volunteers fight Russia in Irpin.
    • Zelensky created the International Legion in late February as a way to organize the influx of foreign volunteers.
    • The mayor of Kyiv advised residents not to return for now.
    • Ukraine is having to cut government programs to cover military expenses.
    • Russian aircraft have increased activity in Donbas.
    • European Parliament President: “Ukraine is Europe.”
    • Russia wants to create a global food crisis.  They are deliberately destroying Ukrainian granaries.
    • According to Ukrainska Pravda news outlet, almost $5 million was confiscated from a former minister under Yanukovych, who is currently wanted in Ukraine.  The sum was transferred to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
    • 86 Ukrainian soldiers were released from Russian captivity during a second prisoner swap on April 1.
    • The Ukrainian Parliament passed a law which allows seizures of property of Russian war supporters.  The law allows confiscating property that belongs not only to the Russian state or its residents, but also to non-residents who are connected to the Russian government, deny or support Russia’s war.
    • At least $10 billion needed to restore Mariupol’s infrastructure.
    • Russian media accuses Ukraine of attacking Belgorod again.
    • Putin is surrounded by doctors including a tyroid cancer specialist.  Putin “traveled with five doctors on average in 2016-2017, according to an investigation by Project, a Russian media outlet.”
    • Georgia to implement economic sanctions against Russia.

    BNO NEWS

    • Ukraine says that all Russian soldiers have left Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
    • Germany rejects Putin’s demand to pay for gas in rubles.
    • Latvia bans publicly displaying the letters “Z” and “V” in support of Russia’s invasion.
    • Putin tells foreign buyers to use rubles from tomorrow or be cut off from Russian gas.
    • A separatist leader has said that Donetsk People’s Republic will consider becoming part of Russia.

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • Zoos are evacuating animals in Ukraine.
    • Air strikes from occupied Crimea targeted critical infrastructure in Odesa.  They did not reach their goals thanks to reaction of Ukrainian air defense.
    • Russian “military police” destroy books on Ukraine history and culture in occupied territories in NE Ukraine.  There are also cases of damage to Ukrainian archives with documents about Soviet repressions and attempts to introduce Russian ed-educational programs in Melitopol.
    • Another journalist disappears while his family is “terrorized.”
    • Ukraine’s Air Forces: “Javelins are not enough to counter the dominating Russian air force, until Ukraine receives weapons to protect its sky, Russian bombs and cruise missiles will continue to destroy Ukrainian cities and kill civilians.”

  • UKRAINE

    THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2022, 5:30 PM

    Unfortunately, I am one of the people whose Twitter account is displaying “an error has occurred” and “Tweets aren’t loading now.”  This is evidently happening all over the world.

    TWITTER

    • Anders Aslund: Putin has signed a decree ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia’s annual spring draft.

    UKRAINE WORLD

    • Madrid has sent 10 planes with military offensive equipment to Ukraine.

    THE TIMES

    • Britain is concerned that the US, France and Germany will push Ukraine to “settle” and make significant concessions in peace talks.
    • Zelensky was said to have told Britain’s Johnson that he was concerned that Moscow was exploiting talks to reposition and strengthen its forces.

  • UKRAINE UPDATE

    WEDNESDAY 30 MARCH 2022

    KYIV INDEPENDENT

    • Russia and Ukraine talks will resume on April 1.
    • The Russians are announcing a ceasefire to evacuate residents of Mariupol.
    • A special UN mission is needed to eliminate the risk of nuclear accident at Chornobyl. 
    • Germany has signaled a “general willingness” to provide security guarantees to Ukraine but did not specify whether that would include guarantees of military assistance.

    TWITTER

    • Victor Kovalenko: Seven busses of Russian soldiers suffering from Acute Radiation Syndrome arrived in Belarus from Chornobyl exclusion zone.
    • Journalist Iryna Dubchenko and transported her to occupied Donetsk for trial.
    • Petri Makela: The Ukrainian army has counterattacked and taken the town of Sloboda in the Chernihiv region.
    • Alex Kokcharov: in Mariupol, 95% of the buildings have een destroyed.
    • Andrew A. Michta: “As I watch Russian deployments in Belarus and Donbas, I’m increasingly convinced that another major RUS offensive is about to begin.

    NEW YORK TIMES

    • Major news sources are reporting that Putin is not being given correct information about the invasion of Ukraine

  • TUESDAY: UKRAINE

    TUESDAY 29 MARCH 2022

    Another day of horror in Ukraine. 

    The Mayor of Mariupol: “The task was to wipe the city off the face of the earth along with its inhabitants.”

    MSNBC

    • Ukraine wants an agreement that NATO countries will agree to defend Ukraine in the event of other aggressions.
    • There has been no agreement on territory.
    • Alcindor: Biden wants to defend Ukraine without getting into a military confrontation with Russia.  HOW?  (Note: Why doesn’t anybody question this absurd notion? Yamiche Alcindor never says anything but simply repeats the Biden press release.  She first got noticed by asking Bernie Sanders if he didn’t think it was sexist to run against Hilary Clinton.)
    • (Note: There have been reports of other Ukrainian negotiators being poisoned.)
    • “Neutrality” seems to imply that Ukraine won’t seek to join NATO.  (Note: I find this shameful.)
    • “How can security be guaranteed?” MSNBC anchor.  (Note: How, indeed.)  Reporter doesn’t answer question, but launches into a prepared discourse, walking toward the camera, playing a clip of a man saying he’s going to stay in Kyiv.  This sort of coverage, repeating over and over individual stories is useless.
    • Former adviser to Zelensky in Kyiv: Russia is trying to buy some time, pretending to negotiate.  “I don’t think we are near the end of this conflict.”  What is being talked about is something like NATO’s article 5.  The war could be over in two weeks if they are given all the weapons they need.  (Note: Why, why in hell are the not being given the weapons they need?).
    • There is some Russian troop movement away from Kyiv. 

    TWITTER

    • 5,000 people have died in Mariupol, at least 210 children.  170,000 still remain in the besieged city.  An estimated 30,000 were deported to Russia or Russian-occupied parts of Donbas.
    • Kyiv Post: Russian assault on Ukraine is similar to its actions in the Syrian war, says Amnesty International. These are “deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure,” a representative of AI says, turning humanitarian corridors into “death traps.”
    • Hanna Notte: Russia also declared a new phase in the Syrian war, establishing de-escalation zones in Western parts which freed up regime resources to take more territory in the east.
    • Dominic Dyer: Thousands are dying in Ukraine and western media leads with Will Smith.
    • HuffPost: Zelensky accuses the west of cowardice as his country fights to stave off the Russians.  The West is engaging in “ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets.”  “If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1% of their courage (the residents of Mariupol).

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia just finished in Istanbul.

    NEW YORK TIMES

    • The Mayor of Mariupol: “The task was to wipe the city off the face of the earth along with its inhabitants.”

  • MONDAY UKRAINE

    MONDAY 28 MARCH 2022

    Day 28

    CNN

    • CNN anchor said this morning that the Ukrainian people “think” that the war has been going on for eight years.  He said this more than once.  I don’t understand why this fact was portrayed as a supposition.
    •  

    UKRAINE WORLD

    • Ukraine’s largest pro=Russian party suspended its operation.  This is after two draft laws were introduced in Ukraine’s Parliament proposing to amend legal procedures on banning political parties.
    • Kharkiv has come under shelling more than 200 times in the past 24 hours. 
    • Zelensky gave a 90-minute Zoom interview with Russian journalists.
    • In Mariupol there is no electricity, no water, no light, no heat, no communication.
    • Ukrainian negotiations with Russia will begin in Turkey tomorrow.
    • Zelensky: “I am sure that if tougher sanctions had been levied earlier, a full-scale Russian attack would not have occurred.”
    • Zelensky: The Russians are doing the same thing in cities as they did in Donbas in 2014.

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • Ukrainian security services says they have eliminated 5 enemy bot farms.
    • The bot farms were distributing fake narratives about Russia’s war in Ukraine.  Russian aggression and ideology were justified.
    • Russia has persecuted 36 local government officials, journalists, religious leaders, volunteers, civic activists.
    • The loses to Ukraine from the Russian invasion are estimated to be $564.9 billion.
    • The Armenian Embassy in Ukraine has denied the Armenia handed over aircraft to Russia to be used against Ukraine.

  • UKRAINE UPDATE: SUNDAY

    SUNDAY 27 MARCH 2022

    It’s day 32.

    CNN

    • Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard: Is advocating for a humanitarian no-fly zone over western Ukraine.  Ideally it would be done by the UN, but if not, by NATO and the US, carving out western Ukraine down to Odesa. There would have to be troops with a peace enforcement mission, and prepared for combat.  “If we are really serious about taking care of refugees…” this is what we have to do. “If we’re really serious…”
    • Susan Glasser: Why hasn’t Putin done some of the things he has the capability to do with the internet and taking control of the sky?
    • It’s day 32. 

    MSNBC

    • Zelensky is again asking for arms and weapons.
    • Evidently, we now know that the comment about Putin staying in power was an ad lib.  (Note: This statement has been widely used by the anti-war “left” as evidence of all sorts of nefarious things – that the US wanted this war, that they refused to negotiate and scuttled negotiations to prevent the war from happening, that Ukraine was purposefully used as proxy war, on and on…). 
    • Ukrainian Foreign Minister interview: It is a war against every core principle.  The way we shape the future now will determine what kind of new era we will enter. 

    UKRAINE WORLD (@ukraine_world)

    • This is one of the very best sources of information about Ukraine in English.  They have a podcast and also a website.
    • More than 10,000 hectares of forest are burning in the area of the Chornobyl plant. 
    • Melitopol, recently occupied by Russians, has been disconnected from Ukrainian mobile communications. 

    THE KYIV INDEPENDENT

    • Turkey says the world cannot “burn bridges” with Russia.
    • Macron warns against calling Putin a “butcher.”
    • Military intelligence reports are that Russia wants to split Ukraine in two.
    • UK defense ministry says the Russian forces are trying to encircle Ukraine’s troops in Donbas.
    • Ukraine Armed Forces figures say: 16,600 Russian troops killed.
    • Zelensky: “Who is leading the Euro-Atlantic community? Is it still Moscow through intimidation?”
    •  

    OTHER STORIES

    THOMAS: Jane Meyer, the New Yorker

    • Thomas was pushing the Trump White House to overthrow the election and stop Biden from accepting the presidency. 
    • There was a lot of secrecy surrounding Thomas’ stay in the hospital.
    • He will sit on key cases that involve the protection of our democracy and his wife is actively working to overthrow democracy. 
    • Oliver Darcy, CNN: Either Thomas believes these lies or Thomas can’t get through to his wife to tell her that these are lies. 
    • SE Cupp: Bringing up the Hunter Biden laptop story and saying that the story was ignored.  Tons of people are contacting her “believing that there is some tie between Ginni and Clarence.”  (Note: THEY ARE MARRIED, SOME TIE?)
    • Meyer: There has been such sensitivity about investigating the wife of a Supreme Court judge.
    • (Note: Why does CNN employ SE Cupp?)
    • (Note: It’s been a month now, we don’t need reporters repeatedly asking interviewees what it feels like to be where they are.  Enough.  It surprises even me how little the corporate media actually says about Ukraine in a 24-hours of coverage.  Mostly they all repeat one of several paragraphs.  There is so much to be learned about this situation and how we got here, but the media just, for example, repeats the words of Biden’s speech a billion times.  Point: It’s all superficial drivel designed to create the impression that they are “covering” the story.)

    ACCOUNTABILITY If wrongdoers are not held accountable, there is a general erosion to the moral fabric of the society.  If those wrongdoers are the powerful and rich, I creates a cynicism about the central tenets of the legal system, such as equality before the law.  That situation has existed in this country for a long time, but before, people felt that the lack of accountability was sporadic,

  • UKRAINE UPDATE: SATURDAY AFTERNOON

    SATURDAY 26 MARCH 2022

    CNN

    • Biden has made a statement, the last sentence of his speech in Poland, where he said that Putin should not be allowed to stay in power.
    • We haven’t (as far as I know) established whether this was part of the written notes for the speech or an ad lib.
    • The Russians struck Lviv again just before Biden’s speech.
    • (Note: It would make me furious were I Ukrainian for Biden to swear to defend every inch of NATO nations).

    THE KYIV INDEPENDENT

    • Zelensky: It is impossible to save Mariupol without additional tanks and planes.
    • Zelensky added that they had waited too long for the weapons.  (Note: I wholeheartedly agree).
    • Zelensky said that without more weapons, Russia could threaten Ukraine’s neighbors.  
    • After Biden’s speech, the White House tried to downplay Biden’s comment about Putin.  They said that Biden wasn’t calling for “regime change.”  (Note: I can’t imagine what he was calling for if he wasn’t).
    • The Russians have shelled an oil depot near Lviv.
    • A nuclear research reactor was hit in Kharkiv.
    • The Ukrainians are saying it’s too early to say that Russia has declined to storm Kyiv.
    • The Mariupol City Council is reporting that Russian forces deported hospital employees.

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • Russian invaders intensify abduction and terror against Ukrainian civic activists.
    • Protestors brought buckets of blood to the Russian Embassy in Prague today.  They threw the fake blood at the gates of the embassy.
    • Another general was killed in Ukraine, Russian general Yakov Rezantsev.

    UKRAINE WORLD (@ukraine_world)

    • (Note: This is the best source of information about Ukraine in English.  They also have a podcast and a website).
    • Today’s podcast is “Can we negotiate with Russia?”:
    • Ukrainian philosopher Oleksiy Panych, sent an open letter to Biden.  He asks Biden to avoid illusions about the Russian people.  They are “imperial subjects” who support the actions of the Russian empire. 
    • Panych calls it a “fatal weakness” to believe that the Russian people do not support the  killing of children and the elderly.
    • “The one who refuses to believe the truth cannot win the war.”
    • Panych warns that this flawed reasoning can not only affect the outcome of the war, but also policy after the war.
    • Russians tried to pay residents of Melitopol to hold a rally today.  It was not successful.
    • Russians opened fire on peaceful protestors in Slavutych. 

    ANTI-WAR “LEFT”

    • Caitlin Johnstone (Australian) retweeted a tweet saying that in Biden’s speech, he is “admitting” that the “US has used Ukraine to foment regime change in Russia, and no amount of desperate spin can hide it.  This also explains why his admin sabotaged diplomacy pre-invasion and since.”
    • Johnstons tweeted: “…this is a proxy war deliberately instigated and perpetuated by the US empire with the goal of ousting Putin…this war is just more US regime change interventionism.”

  • UKRAINE UPDATE: SATURDAY MORNING

    SATURDAY 26 MARCH 2022

    UKRAINE WORLD

    • Rallies against Russian occupation in Ukraine.
    • Kidnappings of town mayors and artistic figures.

    THE GUARDIAN: “Ukraine Will Not…” Maria Zolkina (3/25/22)

    • “The only scenario that is not discussed is the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”
    • The talk everywhere is that something needs to be sacrificed to appease Russia.
    • “It is impossible for Ukraine to accept any of Russia’s ultimatums.  Not the recognition of the so-called “republics” within the borders of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, not the annexation of Crimea,  and not the demilitarization of Ukraine.”
    • “…these concessions will not bring any security and in no way will they guarantee the withdrawal of Russian Troops.”
    • “…they can only provoke a new Russian offensive against Ukraine.”
    • The military support guaranteed in any treaty must include concrete forms of collective response, including using troops.
    • “A ceasefire is not enough.”
    • “Russia would use a ceasefire to strengthen and rearm its troops while demanding the west reduce military assistance to Ukraine.”
    • “We urgently need weapons, including air defense systems and antimissile systems.  We need sanctions, especially the refusal of EU states to purchase Russian gas and oil, and the disconnection of all Russia banks from Swift. We need western support for the independence of all Ukraine.”

  • Ukraine will not surrender one inch of land to Russia – the west must understand this | Maria Zolkina | The Guardian

    Kyiv knows concessions will not bring security: on the contrary, they will provoke a new Russian offensive, says political analyst Maria Zolkina
    — Read on www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/25/ukraine-west-russia-kyiv-russian-offensive

  • UKRAINE: FRIDAY

    FRIDAY 25 MARCH 2022: 5:30 pm

    CNN

    • CNN is reporting that the Russian movement has stalled, and a Russian general made an announcement indicating that they may be changing the goal post for victory to eastern Ukraine.
    • Chuck Hagel is already giving the U.S. credit for this potential stall of the Russians. 
    • “Russia’s sudden change in plan” is being discussed.

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • On 24 March, some 70 Russian servicemen stationed in Melitopol were reported to have “made a riot.”  They refused to carry out the orders of their leadership and fight the defenders of Zaporizhia.
    • Sergey Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces has said that Russia will focus on “liberating Donbas.”

    THE NATION: Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Chief warns of “Real Hell”

    • Brig Gen. Kyrylo Budanov.
    • Article written by Nicolas Niarchos
    • Budanov’s appointment by Zelensky was criticized by people saying he was too young.
    • Pessimistic about the prospect of successful negotiations, Budanov said: “We are dealing with an army of criminals, of looters, of mercenaries, and we are ready to fight and win.”
    • The Russian army as the second army in the  world is just a “big myth.”
    • “we have lots of informants within the Russian army…also in their political circles and their leadership.”
    • Intelligence gathering has been especially sophisticated.  And the Russians, and especially the Chechens are less sophisticated.  The private messages of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, were intercepted.  Videos released by the Chechens have been found to be made at locations other than that claimed.

    UKRAINE WORLD

    • After Russia annexed Crimea, EU increased the import of Russian gas in an attempt to use the model of economic interdependence.  It didn’t work.
    • Putin is not just an accident and it was a mistake to assume that Russians had left behind their imperial attitudes.  It’s only a handful of Russians who have consciously refused this social contract.
    • It would be a mistake to assume that after Putin, Russia will move toward democracy.

    TWITTER:

    • DeSantis just signed a bill allowing parents to object to any classroom texts or material they find “inappropriate.”  Jesus.
    • Anders Aslund (author of Russia’s Crony Capitalism.”): first report of a brigade commander being killed by his soldiers.

  • Cancel Culture?

    www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/25/putin-says-west-treating-russian-culture-like-cancelled-jk-rowling

  • The West’s 3 Most Important Errors in Understanding Russia

    Ukrainian philosopher Oleksiy Panych reflects upon three most important errors the West makes in understanding Russia: (1) their belief in peaceful coexistence with Russia; (2) their delusions about the Russian people, and (3) the prospects they give to “Russian democracy.”
    — Read on ukraineworld.org/articles/opinions/important-errors-understanding-russia

  • Putin’s Holy War

    FRIDAY 25 MARCH 2022

    Vladimir Putin’s Holy War.  Podcast 3/22/22 Dennis Sanders

    https://dennissanders.medium.com/vladimir-putins-holy-war-85560601002f

    • Putin wants to go back to the days of the Russian Empire.
    • He is also looking to “restore the guardians of Russian culture and morals: The Russian Orthodox Church.”
    • Putin would, after 2000, work with the Russian Orthodox church to enforce Russian nationalism. 
    • “The leadership within the church and President Putin will work together to reshape Russian society in their image and ultimately set Russia down the road to war with Ukraine.”
    • Putin’s aim is to restore the Russian Orthodox church (ROC) to the authority it once had during Tsarist Russia, restoring a long-lost ideology.
    • The ROC was against homosexuality.
    • The ROC supported panslavism, the belief that all Slavic speakers whould live in one country.
    • The ROC is tied to the very beginning of Russia.
    • Within the ideology of the ROC, Kyiv has the centrality of Jerusalem.
    • “In 2019 Patriarch Kirill said the following: “Ukraine is not on the periphery of our church. We call Kiev ‘the mother of all Russian cities.’ For us, Kiev is what Jerusalem is for many. Russian Orthodoxy began there, so under no circumstances can we abandon this historical and spiritual relationship.”
    • Vladimir Putin is equated with Prince Vladimir and therefore he was made head of the nation by the will of God.
    • “Putin’s nationalist goal wouldn’t get very far if it wasn’t for the Russian Orthodox Church. He is able to use the church as a vehicle to carry his message of reviving the Russian Empire and the church has been a willing participant, especially the current Patriarch of Moscow, Patriarch Kirill.”
    • Krill, before he became Patriarch, spoke out against abortion, euthanasia and “extreme feministic views,” and “homosexual attitudes.”  Human rights, he argued, should be subservient to “traditional values.”
    • Krill also made the “church a willing supporter of the Russian military.”
    • In a sermon on February 27, Krill said: “May the Lord preserve the Russian land… A land which now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and peoples.” Kirill then says that those fighting the “historical unity of Ukraine and Russia” were “evil forces.”
    • Krill: “…sees the rejection of Ukrainian leadership as a rejection of decadent Western values.”
    • “Ukraine is then a country that is following decadent Western values and that offends and endangers Russians in the Donbas. It’s a war not simply of armies, but of values.”
    • “The Russkii Mir or Russian World is a mixture of religious fundamentalism with totalitarianism. It was this ideology that allowed Russia to annex Crimea in 2014, start the proxy war in the Donbas and for the full invasion of Ukraine. What it states is simply this: there is a transnational Russia, a Holy Russia or Holy Rus which includes Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Within the Holy Rus there are many things held in common: a common capital in Moscow, a common spiritual center in Kyiv, a common Russian language, a common church meaning the Russian Orthodox Church, and a common patriarch (the Patriarch of Moscow). The Patriarch works in concert with the common national leader to govern the Russian world, as well as upholding a common spirituality, morality, and culture.”
    • “The Russkii Mir is an ideology of us and them. In this case, the them means the West (Western Europe, North America and the current government in Ukraine). The West has given itself up to liberalism, globalization, Christianophobia, and homosexual rights. The them also include other Orthodox churches which as considered schismatic and in error. It is only the Moscow Patriarchate, along with Putin that are the true defenders of Orthodox teachings.”
    • This means that not only is Ukraine illigitimte, but the church in Ukraine which separated from the ROC in 2018, is illegitimate.  All other leaders in the Russian World are pretenders.
    • “What this all means when it comes to Ukraine is that this isn’t a war simply of conquest. Instead it is a war of erasure, erasing a culture and its people.”
    • In 2016, the Duma passed a law and Putin signed it which was billed as protecting from terrorism.  But the “Yarovaya Law” also restricted several freedoms including of religion.  It made it illegal to preach or proselytize.  Baptists, for example, are completely banned in the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions.
    • “This time it isn’t just the state that is committing a crime, the church decided to join in as well.”
    • “The thing about Vladimir Putin’s Holy War is that every weapon used by Russia in this war was blessed by the leadership in the Russian Orthodox Church. Every bullet fired, every missile launched is considered a tool of God”

  • MORNING UPDATE

    FRIDAY 25 MARCH 2022

    It’s another day and still, still, the west does not stop the killing and destruction in Ukraine.  I am ashamed.

    CNN

    • Report of a man who was the chief of a yacht owned by a Russian oligarch.  He tried to scuttle the yacht and was arrested.  He went back to Ukraine.
    •  

    MSNBC

    • Zwack: The longer the Ukrainians hold, the more pressure there is on Russia.  Troops are hearing what is going on at the front.  Because of last minute notification of the fact that they were going into a war, the Russian troops were unprepared.  (Note: Zwack has a book about pre-Putin Russia.
    • The Alabama Attorney General refused to say that Biden was “legally elected and lawfully serving” when testifying in front of the Congress. 
    • Carole Leonig: what knowledge did Justice Thomas have of his wife’s activities?  “The optics are just horrible for the Supreme court Justice.”  Because he is the one justice who voted not to turn over the records.  That vote was without legal support.  This looks bad for the court in general.  There is a ruling that is a “suspicious” vote, and then the text messages come out.  Leonig is minimizing the importance of Genni Thomas’ input.  (Note: Meadows’ response is not the issue, Genni Thomas’ behavior is.)
    • Scarborough: Genni Thomas was the “establishment of the establishment” when Scarborough knew him.  She was saying that Biden and his family would be tried on barges off Guantanamo.  The Republican party has been taken over by “cranks.”  (Note: Again, political movements are diminished in importance through the “crazy” label.
    • Lemire: Flynn has been videoed giving a Q-anon salute.  Her behavior does not break any law.  (Note: Isn’t it against the law to plot a coup?)
    • Eugene Robinson: (WP) “This is crazy stuff.”  She was talking about watermarked ballots and boats off Guantanamo.  This is an example of “radicalization” of the conservative movement in Washington. 
    • Lemire: Talking about the “limitations” on what we can do to deter Putin.  He is talking about crippling sanctions that haven’t done anything.  (Note: If they are “crippling” why aren’t they doing anything?).

    UKRAINE WORLD (@ukraine_world)

    • Around 300 people were killed at the Mariupol Drama Theatre.
    • Russians were disseminating the story that the US had funded bio labs in Ukraine.  Now they are saying that Hunter Biden was involved in financing these labs.
    • Zelensky is warning about famine.
    • Wesley Clark has said that Putin may use low yield nuclear weapons, probably not in Ukraine, but on the staging areas or some populated area in Poland. 

    KYIV INDEPENDENT

    • US and EU announce a “task force” to reduce dependence of Europe on Russian oil and gas.  (Note: A task force?)
    • Reuters is reporting that the US estimates an up to 60% failure rate for Russian missiles.
    • Australia sanctions Lukashenko and 22 Russians.
    • Russian shelling is preventing the rotation of essential personnel at Chornobyl.
    • Mariupol City Council calls for help as residents begin to die from starvation.
    • Russia claims to have “evacuated” 400,000 Ukrainians to Russia, including 84,000 children.
    • Zelensky urges G7 to fully block Russia’s Central Bank and block Russia from the GPS.
    • Zenensky: “You have thousands of fighter jets, but we have not been given one yet.”

    EUROMAIDAN PRESS

    • The Police General in Mariupol offers to surrender himself to the Russians in exchange for getting children out of Mariupol.
    • Japan will freeze assets of 25 more Russians and prohibit exports to 81 Russian organizations.

    NOTES:

    • Remember when Thomas’ confirmation hearings were going on, Thomas reportedly was laying in a fetal position under a table crying about the “high-tech lynching.”