History suggests that economic and strategic pragmatism often outweigh symbolic gestures in energy policy. Despite disruptions in 2006 and 2009, Russian gas consistently returned to European markets. After the 2014 annexation of Crimea, reliance expanded, exemplified by the construction of Nord Stream 2. These precedents indicate that while the current situation is unprecedented in scale, a complete decoupling may be difficult to sustain, especially as some will seek to reintroduce Russia into the global community after hostilities cease.
— Read on www.themoscowtimes.com/
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Life and News Notes from an Elderly Cat Lady in the Ministry of Snark
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2025
Kennedy Confirmation Hearings
These hearings are almost always a stupid waste of time, a performance for everyone involved. It took all morning, until Elizabeth Warren to finally get somebody who had actually done their job and looked at Kennedy’s material.
Warren brought out that Kennedy was doing presentations and advertisements for a law firm that sued vaccine manufacturers. The presentations and advertisements were designed to encourage people to join a lawsuit to sue the vaccine makers. If a person came in because of the presentation and sued and won a judgment, Kennedy raked 10% off the top.
Now, this should have disqualified Kennedy from consideration for this position in the beginning. And, it took Elizabeth Warren to bring it out after all this time wasted with Sen Warren whining that he had been given a hard time by Democrats for approving four other nominees.
And, even after Warren brought this out, he refused to promise not to take money from lawsuits for four years after he was HHS Secretary.
Warren also pointed out a list of ways in which Kennedy could make money from decisions he made as HHS Secretary. It is a disgrace. But, everything about the Trump administration is a disgrace.
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THURSDAY 23 JANUARY 2025
CROOKS AND LIARS
- Eric Adams, Mayor of NYC, has decided he’s not a Democrat anymore. He says that the Democratic Party left him. Maybe Adams think they “left” him after they started to do investigations into his graft. There is speculation he is seeking a pardon from the King of Pardons, Donald Trump.
THE TRUMP SCAM: Sham Statement by Trump
- Trump issues a tweet saying that he’s going to sanction and put tariffs on Russia if they don’t come to a peace agreement in Ukraine. Joe Scarborough, of course, just parrots this over the air and acts as if this is a serious statement that hasn’t probably been approved by the Kremlin. What imports are there to put sanctions and tariffs on?
- The Wall Street Journal goes right along. Alan Cullison deems the statement by Trump to be “quite significant.” (Note: See article in WFS). The US has conducted a “breath taking sanctions regime” against Russia. The statement is likely to be “quite a surprise to the Kremlin.”
- Cullison: …” sanctions are getting to be more important to Putin.” Russian economy is “feeling some strains.” There is a labor shortage. Will sanctions alone stop the war? The Russians don’t see a whole lot of reasons to negotiate. (Note: Wow, listen to the deference from Scarborough for this WSJ reporter.)
- Cullison: “The Russians do have the momentum…high casualty rate….the hope was that the Ukrainians were going to crack this year….”
- Edward Luce: Financial Times: Putin has less territory now than he had when he first invaded Ukraine. The costs in casualties is great. Putin doesn’t want to talk. This involves “Trump’s pride.”
- “We’ll see if he follows through.” This may be “saber rattling”. (Note: This was said in the context of saber rattling being in order, not as a criticism.)
THE TRUMP SCAM: Climate
- Trump has pulled us out of the Paris Climate Accord.
PODCAST: uKRAINE the Latest, 1/23/25
- New evidence of Russian war crimes, executing prisoners.
- It is being reported that more North Korean troops might be sent to Ukraine.
RANDOM NOTES
- German elections in a month. AfD, Alternative for Germany a right-wing party.
- In Italy, Georgia Meloni, dialed back some of her hard-line positions. Her party is Brothers of Italy. She supports Ukraine.
- In Hungry, the Fidesz party is opposed to all military aid for Ukraine.
- Poland’s Right-wing Law and Justice Party, or PiS.
- It is disgusting to see people at DAVOS kissing Trump’s ass. It is disgusting that we have a president who only requires praise and ego stroking to have him go along with policy. It is a shame for this country. It disgusts me even more then usual. Think how different it would be to have someone like Bernie Sanders who actually had dignity, morals, beliefs, courage. Dream on.
- Just listened to a reporter saying that the best way for Ukraine to proceed is to figure out how to bribe Trump and his family with the best deal. That’s the way Trump plays, so you have to play along. What a shame.
- In Ukraine, corruption is treason. Still, even after all the effort, upper-level corruption is still not getting enough attention. Corruption costs lives, and also helps keep Ukraine out of the EU and NATO.
- Another school shooting. After shooting others, a 17-year-old killed himself before police could even get to him. A 17-year-old.
- MSNBC’s Christine Roman described Trump’s tax cuts as “tax cuts for the middle class.” THIS IS A LIE.
- A federal judge blocked Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship.
- Trump revoked security protection for Mike Pompeo.
John Radcliff (NYT)
- John Ratcliff is confirmed as CIA director. (Note: This is a disaster.) The vote was 74 to 25. Several Democrats joined all the Republicans.
- Ratcliffe declassified intelligence related to Russia’s activities in 2016 even though it was thought (by the CIA) that the declassification would compromise sources and methods. Republicans thought the information undermined the case that the Russians sought to interfere in the 2016 election on behalf of Trump.
- Tough questioning about the release of this information came from Jon Ossoff and Mark Kelly. The information was released on the same day as one of the debates in 2020 and Trump used the intelligence in the debate.
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LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN ELDERLY CAT LADY IN THE MINISTRY OF SNARK
MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2025
Well, here we are. This is where we have come as a country. Donald f…ing Trump sworn in as president, again. Only this time, this administration is going to be a whirlwind of corruption and graft.
Trump is going to church, why?
Biden, true to form, has pardoned people at the last minute. This is another of his “emotional” decisions – bad to disastrous, just like his total embrace of Bebe Netanyahu, to his abandonment of Afghanistan and the abandonment of Ukraine. All Biden’s decisions. All irresponsibly emotional. All disastrous for the future of the country.
The pardons of Fauci, Milley and “members of Congress who served on the committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol (CNN).” I totally disagree with this. What, for example, about all the staff that worked on the Jan. 6 Committee? What about this Heaphy guy who is a frequent commentator on MSNBC? He’s an attorney and investigated for the Committee. He is left out? I don’t get it.
So, while pardoning the elite, Biden leaves the rest of us out there twisting in the wind. Also, should Trump arrest a Cheney, people would rise up and protest. If they arrest a Heaphy, few people will even know who he is. This is a profoundly anti-change decision. A decision that will hamper the fight against authoritarianism.
Trump and Melania, not surprisingly, look like mobsters in church. Melania evidently is trying to impress the fashionable world by wearing important, well “important” designer clothes. They are awful. She looks almost as bad as she did at the Carter funeral. She is also wearing an expression that looks like she’s rather be in hell. She is in hell.
(Note: I can feel my stomach knotting up.)
They have the hulking giant Barron with them. He also looks like a hit man or a wise guy.
9:30 AM
Eric Adams has received an invitation to attend the swearing in of Trump. Also, Putin has issued a congratulation, of course.
10:40 AM
Well, finally, MSNBC has put on journalists who have something interesting to say besides repeating “peaceful transition of power” over and over again. (Chris Jansing is not one of them).
There are almost no people lining the streets to see Trump riding to the Capitol.
I thought Capaswarmy quit? Was that wrong?
Kennedy us standing there thinking he should be taking the oath of office.
The crowd at the arena booed when Pence came on the screen.
The Clintons are there. Clinton did a lot to get us where we are, compromising with Republicans, moving right.’
Good for Michelle Obama
11:00 AM
When the Clintons walked into the arena, the crowd booed and chanted “Lock her up.” Jesus.
Ohhhhh no, MSNBC has Andrea Mitchell on. It is just painful to listen to her talk. She can barely get out an coherent sentence an yet they still have her on.
The Trump family has some black woman walking in with the family. Who the fuck is that? The giant is last.
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LIFE AND NEWS NOTES FROM AN ELDERLY CAT LADY IN THE MINISTRY OF SNARK
MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2025
Well, here we are. This is where we have come as a country. Donald f…ing Trump sworn in as president, again. Only this time, this administration is going to be a whirlwind of corruption and graft.
Trump is going to church, why?
Biden, true to form, has pardoned people at the last minute. This is another of his “emotional” decisions – bad to disastrous, just like his total embrace of Bebe Netanyahu, to his abandonment of Afghanistan and the abandonment of Ukraine. All Biden’s decisions. All irresponsibly emotional. All disastrous for the future of the country.
The pardons of Fauci, Milley and “members of Congress who served on the committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol (CNN).” I totally disagree with this. What, for example, about all the staff that worked on the Jan. 6 Committee? What about this Heaphy guy who is a frequent commentator on MSNBC? He’s an attorney and investigated for the Committee. He is left out? I don’t get it.
So, while pardoning the elite, Biden leaves the rest of us out there twisting in the wind. Also, should Trump arrest a Cheney, people would rise up and protest. If they arrest a Heaphy, few people will even know who he is. This is a profoundly anti-change decision. A decision that will hamper the fight against authoritarianism.
Trump and Melania, not surprisingly, look like mobsters in church. Melania evidently is trying to impress the fashionable world by wearing important, well “important” designer clothes. They are awful. She looks almost as bad as she did at the Carter funeral. She is also wearing an expression that looks like she’s rather be in hell. She is in hell.
(Note: I can feel my stomach knottingup.)
They have the hulking giant Barron with them. He also looks like a hit man or a wise guy.
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SUNDAY 19 JANUARY 2025
Three Israeli women released by Hamas
It astounds me that Hamas is going to release three women after they have been held captive for over a year. Unless there has been some kind of agreement not to talk about their abuse, especially about their sexual abuse, I can’t see it.
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THURSDAY 16 JANUARY 2025
Well, here we are folks, another day. It’s glorious outside in coastal Georgia, a little cold, but a bright sunny day. I have two cats curled up in balls, sleeping on the bed with me, supervising work. They each weigh over 21 pounds. I know, they both need to go on a diet. Feral genes with a steady died is a recipe for disaster.
I am bummed out because I remembered at 12:52 that I wanted very much to participate in a zoom lecture about drafting the ultra-orthodox into the Israeli military. I remembered in time to get set up, so I did just that, got set up. Then, I couldn’t remember where the link to the zoom lecture was. I had a note on my calendar. It said “Israel.” Very helpful. One of the really difficult things about losing your memory is that you forget that you are losing your memory. You can no longer make notes like “Israel” and remember what that means. I have no idea how to find that zoom lecture. No idea.
Short Change, one of our cats, is trying to console me. He says that if I just give him one of the Beachside Party cat treats, I’ll feel better.
Oh Jesus. There is an icon on the computer screen just to the left of the margin that I’ve never seen before. When I tried to figure it out by clicking on it, something called “Accessibility: Investigate” came up on the screen. O.K. , I’m game. I click on Accessibility Investigate. Then, another screen appears to the right on my text that says, in large blue letters: “Keep going! Fix the remaining issues in the document to make it accessible to everyone.” Then, it says “Missing alt text.” I have no idea what that means. Is this where we are folks, really? I just want to type a message about the Republicans from…hell…the middle of hell.
Dorothy Parker said that every time the doorbell rang, she said to herself: What fresh hell is this?” That’s how I start every day now, since Trump. Really, since 2015, ten fucking years. Every time I turn on the television or the computer: What fresh hell is this?
News Notes
According to Robert Reich, Trump’s inaugural fund is on target to rake in $200 million in donations by January 20. “some of the biggest donors (Amazon, Meta, Goldman Sachs) are facing federal investigations.” “This is what legalized corruption looks like.”
In 2016 Jimmy Carter talked about the “erroneous ruling” of the Supreme Court. He said the decision “gives legal bribery a chance to prevail.”
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JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Tuesday said it would begin sending draft notices to Jewish ultra-Orthodox men on Sunday — a step that could destabilize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The announcement followed a landmark Supreme Court order for young religious men to begin enlisting for military service. Under long-standing political arrangements, ultra-Orthodox […]
— Read on www.cbs42.com/news/international/ap-israeli-military-says-it-will-begin-drafting-ultra-orthodox-men-that-could-rattle-the-government/THIS IS IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO THE CEASEFIRE
Law, Power, and Justice 