Monday, February 28, 2022

Good Sports, Bad Spirits




The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) today announced that they are suspending all Russian soccer clubs and national teams from playing in their competitions. FIFA is the world organization overseeing soccer (football), while the UEFA regulates soccer in Europe. This signifies a major blow to Russia's image for a hugely popular sport like soccer to eliminate them from playing as a punishment for Putin's brutal and unlawful invasion of neighboring Ukraine. FIFA and  UEFA issued a joint statement, reading in part:

"FIFA and UEFA have today decided together that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, shall be suspended from participation in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice.  [snip] 

Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both Presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people."

Initially, the Associations were going to allow Russia to compete in neutral venues, but objections from multiple nations (England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden) forced the Associations to take a stronger stand. Football clubs around the UK and Europe have been showing solidarity with Ukraine, displaying banners "We Stand With Ukraine," and with players wearing the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Meanwhile, as far as boycotts, liquor distributors, bars, etc., need to be careful about assuming that Russian-named vodkas (Stoli, Smirnoff, etc.) are Russian-made. Stoli is made in ally Latvia by a company headquartered in ally Luxembourg, while Smirnoff has long been owned by British booze giant Diageo. The brands Russian Standard and Green Mark are, however, manufactured in Russia and should be off the shelves of all liquor stores in the U.S. (conceding that the Russians have already been paid for the merchandise and that some red state stores may want to show solidarity with the fascist Putin's invaders by stocking them anyway).
 
BONUS: Here's a summary of other actions being pursued in the sports world to punish Russia.  Also the world Taekwondo association has taken away thug Putin's honorary black belt.
 

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Lalo Alcaraz, LA Weekly)

(Ed Hall, Artizans.com)

(Clay Jones, claytoonz.com)

(Steve Benson, gocomics.com)

(Ward Sutton, Boston Globe)

(Jack Ohman, Sacramento Bee)

(Arcadio Esquivel, Costa Rica)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Phil Hands, Wisconsin State Journal)

(Emanuele Del Rosso, Netherlands)

(Asher Perlman,@asherperlman)


Tweets Of The Day

 

The lying Fifth Column gaslighters are out in force --

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weaponizing Russia's financial system against thug Putin --

 


 

What paranoia looks like --

 

 

Our newfound appreciation for Twisted Sister --

 

 

 

Putin's Biggest U.S. Admirer And His Cult




Over the past week, we've seen that the mentally ill Malignant Loser can't help but express his admiration for his thuggish, despotic idol in Russia, Vladimir Putin. Calling Putin a "genius" and making other flattering references, he doubled down at this past weekend's gathering of the fascist movement, CPAC, referring to Putin as "smart", while undermining President Biden and our Western allies.

However, a new poll by the Washington Post / ABC News indicates that fully 80% of Americans view Russia under Putin as "unfriendly" or an "enemy," representing a dilemma for the Malignant Loser and his cult members:

"In the new Washington Post-ABC poll, 80 percent of Americans, including more than three quarters of Democrats and Republicans, view Russia as unfriendly or an enemy — the highest level of animosity toward Moscow since the Cold War. But Russian President Vladimir Putin still has one prominent American admirer: former president Donald Trump. And in the /United States, Putin’s war has taken Trump’s personality cult to new lows."

The Malignant Loser's political enablers are offering no criticism of their cult leader's praise of the evil Putin when given multiple opportunities, illustrating their rotted out characters and shameful cowardice:

"At this past weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference, CBS reporter Robert Costa had no trouble finding other Republican lawmakers equally scared to address the former president. 'Listen, there’s lots of things present in terms of foreign policy,' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) stammered. 'We clearly all ought to be condemning what’s going on in Ukraine,' Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said — but when asked whether 'we' includes Trump, Scott replied, 'That’s a decision” for President Trump.'"

The Malignant Loser's continuing idolization of Putin (who installed him in the White House) is a case for psychiatrists and investigative journalists. As far as his political enablers, it's more a matter of grasping for power no matter the cost or consequences, without any sense of patriotism or honor.

(photo: Petras Malukas / AFP / Getty Images) 

 

Monday Reading

 

As always, please go to the links for the full articles/op eds.

The value of the Russian ruble has crashed, as Western sanctions have started to bite:

Russia was scrambling to prevent financial meltdown Monday as its economy was slammed by a broadside of crushing Western sanctions imposed over the weekend in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin was due to hold crisis talks with his top advisers after the ruble crashed to a record low against the US dollar, the Russian central bank more than doubled interest rates to 20%, and the Moscow stock exchange was shuttered for the day.
The European subsidiary of Russia's biggest bank was on the brink of collapse as savers rushed to withdraw their deposits. Economists warned that the Russian economy could shrink by 5%.
The ruble lost about 20% of its value to trade at 100 to the dollar at 6 a.m. ET after earlier plummeting as much as 40%. The start of trading on the Russian stock market was delayed, and then canceled entirely, according to a statement from the country's central bank.
The latest barrage of sanctions came Saturday, when the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada said they would expel some Russian banks from SWIFT, a global financial messaging service, and "paralyze" the assets of Russia's central bank.
"The ratcheting up of Western sanctions over the weekend has left Russian banks on the edge of crisis," wrote Liam Peach, an emerging market economist at Capital Economics, in a note on Monday.

The Russian stock market closed today following the ruble's crash.  The sight of Russians waiting in line at banks to close accounts and carting their rubles away in wheelbarrows won't make thug Putin any more popular in a nation whose anti- war sentiment is spreading from the streets to the oligarchs' dachas.  Tell us again how sanctions don't work.

Following BP's lead, Norwegian oil giant Equinor ASA is divesting its Russian oil and gas investments:

Norwegian oil giant Equinor ASA says it has decided to stop new investments into Russia and divest from its joint ventures in Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Norway-based energy group has been in Russia for over 30 years and made a cooperation agreement with state-controlled Russian oil and gas company Rosneft in 2012.

CEO Anders Opedal said the company was “deeply troubled by the invasion of Ukraine, which represents a terrible setback for the world, and we are thinking of all those who are suffering because of the military action.”

He added that “we regard our position as untenable” and added that the company was exiting “in a manner that is consistent with our values.”

On the battlefront in Ukraine, events are taking a decidedly negative turn for Russian thug Putin:

OBOZREVATEL is reporting that 5,000 contract servicemen -not conscripts, professional soldiers- rioted in the Belgorod region of Russia, which is right across the border from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

About 5,000 contract soldiers, who were hastily collected to be sent to Ukraine, refused to go to fight for Putin on the territory of our state.

Formally, the rebellious contractors argue their refusal to participate in hostilities in Ukraine by the fact that this is not provided for in their contracts.

The incompetence of the Russian invasion is startling to Western observers.  They're demonstrating logistical and tactical malfeasance unworthy of a military of Russia's relative sophistication.

It's also reported that troops from Putin puppet Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus and Putin's Chechen fiefdom are engaging in battle, with at least one Chechen motorized regiment (56 tanks) destroyed and this fascist leader killed:


 

More updates at the link above, and an excellent summary of the situation in Ukraine and Moscow at Infidel 753's blog.

Leonard Pitts, Jr., reminds us how we got here, and where it might lead us:

Like Putin, much of the right bears allegiance not to truth, much less to democracy, but rather, to the brutish power of the strongman to do as he pleases, unfettered by such niceties. That’s what they very nearly imposed in 2016. It is what they promise in 2024. And if you’re not frightened, you’re not paying attention. 

This moment has been a long time coming. A little more than a quarter century ago, a House speaker named Newt Gingrich declared politics war and an upstart cable network called Fox declared facts optional. It was called a conservative resurgence, but it was actually the foundation stone for the kingdom of lies our country has become.

No wonder Trump likes Putin and claims the feeling is mutual. Each recognizes himself in the other. 

What they recognize, what they have in common, is that transactional disdain for the truth and, more to the point, for anyone naive enough to expect it. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented her Russian counterpart a red “reset” button, Russia accepted it, but kept right on being a thugocracy. TV pundits kept assuring us Trump was going to “become presidential” any second now, but to his last day, he remained a willful child. Now families seek refuge in Ukrainian subways, while Trump cheers their tormentor on. 

Let no one be surprised. 

What begins in lies tends to end in carnage.

Last but not least, it's highly recommended that you make a visit to Infidel 753's link round-up to posts of interest from around the Internet.  As noted above, he also has an excellent round-up of the military and political situation in the Russia/Ukraine war.


Sunday, February 27, 2022

Across The Universe, Cont. -- Head-On Galactic Collision

 

(click on image to enlarge)

From NASA/ESA, February 22, 2022: A spectacular head-on collision between two galaxies has been captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which has the unusual triangular-shaped star-birthing frenzy.

The interacting galaxy duo is collectively called Arp 143. The pair contains the distorted, star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2445, at right, along with its less flashy companion, NGC 2444, at left. This frenzied action takes place against the tapestry of distant galaxies. Some of them can be seen through the interacting pair.

Credit:  NASA, ESA, STScI, and J. Dalcanton (Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Inst., UWashington)

 

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(David Horsey, The Seattle Times)


(Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

(Jeff Stahler, gocomics.com)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)


 (Lee Judge, ComicsKingdom.com)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal)

(Gary Markstein, gocomics.com)

(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)


Pics Of The Day: Berlin And Prague





An estimated 100,00 demonstrators gathered in Berlin's Strasse des 17.Juni (top) earlier today in support of Ukraine's fight against the invasion of their country by Putin's Russia.  Tens of thousands more also gathered in Prague to protest (bottom).

Thousands of people around the globe, from Tblisi, Georgia, to Tel Aviv, Buenos Aires, Rome and elsewhere, took to the streets and squares to protest Putin's brutal assault on his neighbor (see here, and here). Nations that were formerly reluctant to express outrage have been inspired by the Ukrainian resistance, led by President Zelenskyy, who has become an unlikely hero. Some brave Russians have demonstrated against the Putin regime, too, risking imprisonment or worse.

Germany's position just days ago was to support Ukraine with non-lethal assistance, but it has made a swift change to providing weapons and fuel to the struggling Ukrainian forces, something that Germany has never done in the past 75 years.

(top photo: Markus Schrieber / AP;  bottom photo unattributed)

Tweets Of The Day

 

Putin escalates (things going badly in Ukraine and at home, obviously) --

 

 

 

 

 

In the beginning --

 


Nosferatu, a member of the American Party of Putin, says what? --

 

 

Memory-holing the Malignant Loser's "perfect call" with Zelensky --

 

 

 

Racism is a terrible drug --

 


Not with a bang, but a whimper --

 

 


Sunday Reflection: Traits In Men




It has always seemed strange to me...The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second." -- one of America's greatest writers John Steinbeck, from "Cannery Row" 1945.  Steinbeck, whose 120th birthday anniversary is celebrated today, was famous for his humanistic novels with a social conscience from the 1930s to the 1960s. "Of Mice and Men," "The Grapes of Wrath," "East of Eden," "Lifeboat," "Tortilla Flat," and "Travels With Charley" are the best known of his works. 

Steinbeck won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature. With his pro-worker, left-leaning positions during the '30s and beyond, Steinbeck was harassed by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and by the right-wing House Un-American Committee in the early 1950s for his affiliation with the Communist-influenced League of American writers in the mid-1930s during the Great Depression. 

(photo: John Steinbeck in 1937. Peter Stackpole via Getty Images)

Helping Ukraine -- Verified Charities (UPDATED)


Via The Philadelphia Inquirer, this is a (partial) list of verified charities that are helping the people of Ukraine:


Project HOPE

What they do: Founded in 1958, Project HOPE responds to humanitarian emergencies and disasters. Currently, according to the group’s website, the group is aiding those in Ukraine by mobilizing its emergency teams and “sending medical supplies and standing by to provide health screening and care for refugees.”

How you can help: Donate on the group’s website. This group is U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 projecthope.org

 

GlobalGiving

What they do: GlobalGiving uses its funding to support local nonprofits working in affected areas. Currently, “GlobalGiving’s local partners in Ukraine are bringing relief to displaced families and people in high-risk areas.” According to the group, your donation will support refugees with food, shelter, and clean water, as well as providing health and psychological support.

How you can help: Donate to the group’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund online. This group is U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 globalgiving.org

 

UNICEF USA

What they do: Over 510,000 children have been affected by the conflict so far, and the UNICEF emergency response is working to address their needs by preparing health, hygiene, and emergency education supplies, as well as distributing safe water to affected areas, providing children with psychosocial care, and helping kids separated from their families. At the moment, UNICEF is trying to raise $66.4 million to be able to continue their programs and offer immunization, healthcare, child protection, and cash assistance.

How you can help: Donate on the UNICEF website. UNICEF USA is U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 unicefusa.org

 

International Medical Corps

What they do: International Medical Corps helped Ukrainians during conflict in 1999-2000 by delivering medicine and training more than 500 local doctors and medical staff. In 2014, they partnered with the Ukraine Ministry of Health to support mobile health services and train medical professionals on preventing and controlling infections. As the crisis develops, the International Medical Corps has added mental health counseling to the services available for the community.

How you can help: Donate on the group’s website. Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

🌐 give.internationalmedicalcorps.org

 

United Help Ukraine

What they do: United Help Ukraine receives and distributes food donations and medical supplies to people in Ukraine. The group’s current priorities: Aiding Ukrainian soldiers and their families, helping displaced people from Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, and raising awareness of the current situation.

How you can help: Donate via PayPal, or by check payable to United Help Ukraine, Box 83426, Gaithersburg, Md., 20883. This is a registered nonprofit so all donations are tax deductible.

🌐 facebook.com/UnitedHelpUkraine.org

 

Revived Soldiers Ukraine

What they do: This nonprofit provides medical aid for people affected by military conflict. The group buys medication and medical supplies, helps support army hospitals, and works to improve the living standards for soldiers and their families.

How you can help: Donate directly through the group’s website, through PayPal or Patreon, or make it your preferred Amazon nonprofit, which donates 0.5% of the amount of your Amazon purchases to the group. This group is U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 rsukraine.org


Sunflower of Peace

What they do: Sunflower for Peace offers medical assistance to Ukrainian orphans, people displaced by war, and people heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. In February 2022, the group started asking for donations to prepare first aid medical tactical backpacks for paramedics and doctors on the front lines. These kinds of backpacks — usually handled by Marines, special military forces, and military groups — are used to save lives in areas without access to hospitals or emergency care.

How you can help: Donate on Facebook. This group is U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 facebook.com/sunflowerofpeace

 

The KYIV Independent

What they do: The KYIV Independent is an independent media outlet reporting in English. The organization has been covering the Russia-Ukraine conflict, doing fact checking, and reporting on human rights. Since the group is not affiliated with any government and reports in English, it is becoming an important window into what’s happening in Ukraine right now.

How you can help: Since its creation in 2021, The KYIV Independent runs mainly on donations. Donate through GoFundMe or Patreon.

🌐 kyivindependent.com


The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

What they do
: This group runs an emergency program with $1 million in funding that helps the approximately 300,000 Jewish people in Ukraine. The fellowship has staff and volunteers on the ground in Ukraine, and also funds the country’s Jewish organizations to give Ukrainian Jews the chance to move to Israel. Funds are also used to provide the Ukrainian Jewish community with food, medicine, and heat. This group is U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

How you can help: Donate online.

🌐 help.ifcj.org

 

Voices of Children

What they do: Voices of Children provides psychological and psychosocial support to children affected by war. Their main focus is on the front lines in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Donations help finance art therapy and mobile psychologists, and help families in need.

How you can help: Donate directly on their website.

🌐 voices.org.ua

 

Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE)

What they do: Created in 1945 to help people overcome the devastation of WWII, CARE’s works to end poverty, and achieve equity and social justice worldwide. In Ukraine, the group is working on providing girls, women, and elderly people with water, food, and hygiene kits. They currently have a Ukraine Crisis Fund specially focused on continuing their work in the country, and providing psychological support, recovery, and cash assistance.

How you can help: Donate using a credit card or through PayPal on their website.

🌐 care.org

 

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

What they do: The Red Cross’s International Committee provides shelter, food, first-aid training, and humanitarian aid around the world. The group has been supporting people in Ukraine for almost a decade and as the crisis continues, they are adding to their help comfort kits for individuals and families in need.

How you can help: Donate to the ICRC on its website.

🌐 icrc.org

 
American Red Cross

What they do: In Ukraine, the American Red Cross is currently helping U.S. military people and families deployed in the region. So far, they have sent 30 staff members to Europe to help U.S. military members in Ukraine connect with their families back home, and are delivering hygiene items and resources to service members and U.S. State Department staff abroad. They can not help Ukraine with blood directly, because it can’t be sent without special request from the U.S Department of State, the United Nation, or other affected Red Cross networks.

How you can help: Donate on their website. They are U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 redcross.org


United Ukrainian American Relief Committee (UUARC)


What they do: Created in 1944, the UUARC was created to help Ukrainians in refugee camps during WWII relocate to the U.S.. They are currently working in coordination with the Ukrainian Embassy to coordinate medical supplies, food, offering shelter, and taking care of injured people and refugee.

How you can help: Donate on their website or send a check to the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, Inc. 1206 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111. For medical donations call 215-728-1630. They are U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 uuarc.org


American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)

What they do: The JDC has been helping the Jewish community around the world since 1914; for the last 30 years they have focused on helping Ukraine’s Jewish population. They aid elderly Jewish people, children, and families by providing food, medicine, and utilities. At the moment, JDC is preparing to send psychosocial support to Ukraine as mass displacements increase, as well as delivering food packages, and providing online support.

How you can help: Donate on their website. They are U.S. registered, so your donation is tax deductible.

🌐 jdc.org

 ____________________

If you are at all concerned about giving to these or any other charities, you can verify their authenticity by going to Charity Navigator, which evaluates charitable organizations.

UPDATE:  As a commenter noted, you can also donate to Chef José Andrés World Central Kitchen, which always seems to go wherever the need is with food relief.  They're highly recommended.


Saturday, February 26, 2022

U.S., Allies Ratchet Up Financial Pain On Russia




The U.S. and its Western allies have debated whether to exercise a financial "nuclear option" on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. This afternoon, the U.S. and its allies have agreed to expel selected Russian banks from SWIFT, a service that expedites financial transactions around the world. Just days ago, there was disagreement among our allies about denying Russian financial institutions to SWIFT because it would impose financial and commercial hardships on our allies. The move comes as Russian forces press toward Kyiv despite stiff and courageous Ukrainian resistance.

While the measure doesn't apply to all Russian banks, it's believed that the ones specifically targeted have a significant role in Russia's military-industrial complex. The White House issued a joint statement, saying in part:

"As Russian forces unleash their assault on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, we are resolved to continue imposing costs on Russia that will further isolate Russia from the international financial system and our economies."

The statement also includes a commitment to "imposing restrictive measures that will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions."  That will be key in any attempt by Putin to tap Russia's reserves abroad to ease the pain of the sanctions being imposed. 

(photo: Russia's Central Bank. Gavrill Grigorov / TASS via Getty)

 

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Ann Telnaes, Washington Post)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Bruce Plante, caglecartoons.com)

(Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

(Jimmy Margulies, jimmymargulies.com)

(Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News)

(Felipe Galindo and Henry Kaufman, gocomics.com)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Steve Breen, San Diego Union-Tribune)

(Michael de Adder, Washington Post)

(Brendan Loper, @BrendanLoper)


Tweets Of The Day

 

 Remember our homegrown Nazis and Fifth Columnists --

 


 

 

 

 

 

Putin's fellow autocrats have second thoughts --

 

 

CDC's new prevention measures/ mask guidance (check your area's impact level) --

 


Bear with us --

 

 

 

Quote Of The Day



"The fight is here;  I need ammunition, not a ride." -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, rejecting an American offer of evacuation from Kiev earlier today. His presence is rallying Ukraine, even at the risk of his own life.

More ammo is on the way, just hold on and stay alive.


Paranoid Russia Threatens Finland and Sweden

 



One of Russian thug Vladimir Putin's goals in the past decade was to weaken the NATO alliance in order to expand Russia's "sphere of influence" to former Warsaw Pact nations. He had a willing collaborator in the Malignant Loser, who tried to chip away at and demoralize the Trans-Atlantic alliance from day one of his regime. A by-product of Putin's belligerence and military invasion of Ukraine has been the unification of NATO countries, who are witnessing the invasion of an independent European nation by an expansionist aggressor, exactly the reason NATO was formed to counter the Soviet Union.

Yesterday, via a statement from his Foreign Ministry, Putin may be unintentionally pushing two non-NATO countries into applying for membership. In a press conference yesterday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova seemingly warned Finland and Sweden against NATO membership:

"'Finland and Sweden should not base their security damaging the security of other countries,' Zakharova said during the press conference.

'Clearly [the] accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO, which is first and foremost a military alliance, would have serious military-political repercussions that would demand a response from our country,' she said."

What Putin and his regime deliberately fail to recognize is that NATO is a defensive military alliance, meant to repel exactly the kind of attack that he launched on Ukraine, not to damage "the security of other countries." That's obviously Russia's role.

Both Finland and Sweden are providing military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which obviously caught Moscow's attention. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson both issued strong statements of support for Ukraine, condemning Putin's brutal and unprovoked invasion. Time will tell if Finland and Sweden decide to defy an increasingly desperate Putin and apply for NATO membership.

 

American Views Of Russia Tank; Fifth Columnists Scrambling

 

Keep in mind, this Gallup poll was conducted before Russia invaded Ukraine:

Before the invasion of Ukraine, amid rising tensions between Russia and the West, 52% of Americans see the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as a critical threat to U.S. vital interests. That's a change from 2015, after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, when less than half of U.S. adults, 44%, thought it posed that serious a threat.  

These data come from Gallup's Feb. 1-17 World Affairs poll, conducted before the Russian government began it's invasion of Ukraine.

Today, as in 2015, essentially equal percentages of Republicans and Democrats are likely to see the conflict as a critical threat to U.S. vital interests. Currently, 56% of Republicans and 61% of Democrats see the conflict as a critical threat. 

The American Fifth Column -- the Malignant Loser, his rotted out cultists in Congress, and the right-wing media Wurlitzer exemplified by white nationalist frozen food heir Tucker "Rhymes With Fucker" Carlson -- is increasingly isolated in its reverence for Russia's thugocracy:

Along with rising concern about the threats it poses, Russia's already tattered image in the U.S. has deteriorated further over the past year -- 85% of Americans now view the nation unfavorably while 15% have a positive opinion of it. That's an eight-percentage-point increase in unfavorable ratings from 2021 and is, by far, Russia's worst rating in over three decades. The U.S. public generally held more favorable than unfavorable views of Russia prior to 2014. Since then, Americans have been substantially more likely to view the country negatively, as tensions have increased over Ukraine and Russian interference in U.S. elections.

(click to enlarge

 


As public opinion hardens against Russia (thanks almost entirely to thug Putin), we can see the memory- holers on the right scrambling, using their usual tactics of deflection and distraction to try to blame President Biden (!) for the war of aggression (see here and here). Nowhere on the right will you see or hear the name of the Malignant Loser, or how he solicited Russian help in the 2016 election, or how he took Putin's side over U.S. intelligence, or how he tried to withhold armaments from Ukraine in exchange for "dirt" on the Bidens, or how he referred to Putin's invasion strategy as "savvy" and "genius," etc., etc.

Some just try to ignore any complicating facts at all with an insincere invocation --


 

Zelensky doesn't need the blessing of scrotes like "Gym" Jordan.  It's much too late for that. But we can remember the truth, and keep our Fifth Columnists from distorting or destroying the record of their shameless actions.


Friday, February 25, 2022

Today's Cartoons -- Putin And Our Fifth Column

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Matt Davies, Newsday)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)

(Kevin Necessary, gocomics.com)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(Michael de Adder, Washington Post)

(Nick Anderson, Counterpoint)

(Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Bill Day, caglecartoons.com)