A Tale of Two Women

This week two women, whose lives were quite different, each made headlines; one for what she has done and the other for what she still might accomplish. The two women were obviously former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

While the hearings for Judge Jackson were being held, Secretary Albright passed away from cancer. Albright was born in a country that no longer exists: Czechoslovakia. Her father was a diplomat and moved his family to London to wait out the attacks of Hitler during the Second World War. They returned after the war, only to have to move again because of the advance of Soviet troops, and then came to the United States when she was a teenager. So, she was an atypical post-war “displaced person”,(a term used for people who were forced from their country and/or who no longer had a country to return to) because her father was a scholar and known internationally. She entered Wellesley College, a top-line women’s college, known then as one of the seven sisters, a name for the collection of premier colleges for women, that was an elite female counterpoint to the male Ivy League schools.

Eventually, after raising a family and obtaining a Ph.D., she began work in foreign policy. She was first named to a prominent post when she was tapped by President Bill Clinton to be the Ambassador to The United Nations. Albright next became the first female Secretary of State during his second term in office. Her interventions were instrumental in the wars in Kosovo and the Balkans; her actions helped bring in both the United Nations and the United States to help resolve these conflicts. She was not a towering physical presence, but her words were heard, whether she was speaking to presidents, generals, or dictators. She famously almost gave General Colin Powell an aneurysm (his words) when she was pressuring him to use American forces to intervene in the conflict in the Balkans and asked: “Colin,” I asked, “what are you saving this superb military for if we can’t use it?”

(Quote from Read My Pins, author Madeleine Albright, page 66–personal copy.)

Wisely, she used the pins she wore on her suits to open conversations where the discussions might be difficult. However, after the United States discovered a Russian spy listening to a “bug” placed in a room in the State Department, she used a huge bug pin when she next met with President Putin. Putin reportedly tried to “read” her pins. Although she hated snakes, she used a snake pin when she met with Saddam Hussein, since, as she later recounted, he reminded me of a snake.

Standing only five feet two inches tall, she used every one of those 62 inches to her advantage. In his biography of Albright, (Madame Secretary) author Thomas Blood reported they did not almost choose her as the Secretary of State. President Clinton checked with his friend Hafiz Assad of Syria, who assured him that the rulers in the Middle East would not take instruction from a woman. Subsequently, Albright assured him that if she could deal with Senator Jesse Helms, known to be often grumpy and recalcitrant, she could deal with any ruler in the Mid-East.

So, when she became the first female Secretary of State, she broke many glass ceilings. But, to her credit, she performed her duties as any other State predecessor would have done. She carried out her roles as she saw them, giving the best advice, considering the varied circumstances she faced. Not only did she disagree with General Powell, but she also disagreed with the President about the genocide in Rwanda. Eventually, some of her ideas prevailed. She had seen genocide in Europe as a child and was insistent that these acts were ones that the U.S. should oppose. Late in life, she discovered her grandparents had been Jewish, but that fact had been hidden as her family tried to survive by practicing Catholicism, so the issues of genocide became even more important.

After retiring from the appointed office, she continued to be active in consulting. She wrote the book mentioned above about her pins, but, more importantly, also wrote a book about fascism. Harper Collins, the publisher, described that book Fascism: ‘A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of State.’

Although it was written during the tenure of the disgraced former president, she said she did not consider him a fascist, but she said in an interview with Vox: “Fascism is always, in the end, about stirring people up and giving them someone to hate.” Sound familiar?

I have read this book, and believe that, because of certain current world circumstances, so should everyone else. Shortly before her demise, she wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about the issues in Ukraine. Her admonitions included this conclusion: “Ukraine is entitled to its sovereignty, no matter who its neighbors happen to be. In the modern era, great countries accept that, and so must Mr. Putin. That is the message undergirding recent Western diplomacy. It defines the difference between a world governed by the rule of law and one answerable to no rules at all.”

The world shall miss her wisdom, as shall I.

This week, we experienced the circus that certain members of the Senate created in the time allotted for the vetting of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Jackson, an African American Judge, who has been confirmed by the Senate three times already for positions in lower courts, is now President Bidens’ nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy that will occur when Justice Breyer steps down at the end of this Court term. She gave a personal statement in her opening remarks, mentioning her parents, husband, and daughters, and spoke about her career and respect for the Rule of Law. Jackson mentioned her mentors and Justice Breyer, for whom she had clerked, stating she could never fill his shoes. Additionally, she noted the career of the first African American female Judge-Constance Baker Motley-with whom she shares a birthday and noted that they both cherished the ideal of equal justice under the law and the need for that ideal to be a reality. There is little there, I thought when I heard these remarks for anyone to argue against. Was I ever wrong about that!

Some Senators on the Judicial Committee fought culture wars instead of asking reasonable questions. They rudely peppered judge Jackson with questions about leniency against viewers of child porn, actions against the interests of the U.S. when, as a public defender, she defended some prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. They also questioned her about books found in the private school her children attended since she was on the board and claimed the books called babies racist and the school taught critical race theory. The worst questioners were Senators Hawley, Cruz, and Graham, followed by Senator Blackburn, who asked the judge to define the word woman. (In my opinion, she asked some of the stupidest questions, while the men were boorish, disrespectful, and rude, interrupting the judge so she could not answer their questions.) Not only did they ask these absurd questions of a scholarly Judge who has issued over 500 opinions in her almost decade long career, (and had only ten reversed) they seemed to think the only cases she ruled on were those dealing with porn–of course, that makes for more headlines! She famously noted when denying White House Counsel Donald McGahns’ appeal against testifying before the House that ‘Presidents are not kings’.

Senators Cruz and Hawley consider themselves presidential material, so they wanted to burnish their conservative creds before a national audience. I would wager that they lost some female voters by their behavior. Senator Graham pretended to be so angry that a less experienced judge from his home state was not chosen, that he had to attack Judge Jackson. Senator Sass considered himself a voice of reason but still could not find a way to say he could support her nomination. So far, no Republican has said they will vote for her, although some suspect Senator Romney may do so. I expect Senator Collins will do her famous maybe dance, then vote no, but wouldn’t mind being proven wrong.

I wonder, would any of these Republican Senators approve of anyone speaking to their mother or their sisters in the manner they addressed Judge Jackson? Even some Republicans chastised Hawley for the inappropriateness of his remarks repeatedly about the judges’ sentencing of those charged with sex crimes, and his multiple descriptions of the victims of this pornography. Judge Jackson, to her credit, did not break under this assault; she did not shout back as Judge Kavanaugh did when he did not like the questions about his drinking or sexual attacks. Don’t you remember Kavanaugh refused to answer when Senator Kamala Harris asked him if he could think of any laws that gave the government the power to make rulings that governed the male body?

So, Judge Jackson sat there in the Senate Conference room, hour after hour, being questioned most times by obviously lesser souls, keeping her composure, smiling now and then. It was only when she was embraced by the oratory of Senator Cory Booker, who spoke of his joy, the joy that she brought to him by just being there, and what this representation meant to him and other African Americans, that tears trickled down her cheeks. She had mentioned in an answer to an early question, what she might tell her daughters and others as they started on their career path, the words she received as a college student from a passing stranger-‘persevere’. Booker acknowledged that the roads she traveled were made more difficult because of her race; other times because she was a female, but he repeated what her presence meant as the first female African American on the Supreme Court to so many; it was a big deal! As I have mentioned previously, she should be celebrated, not berated.

In the end, most expectations are that the Democrats have enough votes to confirm, even Senator Manchin is on board with this vote, so it will be held before the Easter recess if all goes according to plan. However, these arguments about CRT, sexual predators, and other cultural issues, such as gender identity, signal that the mid-terms will be about these spurious concerns, straight from the QAnon playbook. The successes in Virginia have brought out those eager to fight school boards and ban books, gays, and teaching about slavery. They appear to want a rewrite of history.

Professor Melissa Murray, a prominent African American scholar who was also on Bidens’ shortlist for the Court, noted in an op-ed in the Washington Post today that the Culture Wars have already started. One can look at the rulings in Texas against parents whose children who seek treatment of gender issues, the rulings in Florida against talking about gays in elementary school, and the abortion rights concerns in many states, many of which are clearly unconstitutional. She considers contraception, gay marriage, and interracial marriages, once thought to be settled law as topics for the future overturning of precedents if some states get their way. To quote her: “All this underscores that abortion was never the conservatives’ endgame. It is merely a way station on the path to rolling back a wide range of rights — the rights that scaffold the most intimate aspects of our lives and protect the liberty and equality of marginalized groups.”

Judge Jackson has echoed other justices in affirming her support for precedents; current justices who said that in their hearings, however, seem to find no problems with a potential overturning of Roe. Time will tell.

Guess that is enough for today–no COVID check now, but it will be back next week as will the discussion of the invasion of Ukraine or Putin’s war.

“Til next week–hope for peace or at least a ceasefire.

War Crimes

The war being waged against Ukraine by President Putin of Russia continues this week. Both President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken stated Putin is a war criminal and his actions in Ukraine are against the rules of war. Not only is this an unnecessary war, but it is also increasingly becoming an immoral war being fought by devastating the urban centers of Ukraine. Putin is targeting hospitals, schools, and buildings where families have taken shelter. The troops that were advancing toward cities stopped for many reasons, breakdowns, supply chain issues, losses of war, and resistance by Ukrainian troops. So, the conventional war slowed down, with fewer soldier versus soldier battles, and the devastation in the cities began. The military has a word for civilian deaths; it termed them as collateral damage against urban centers and refers to deaths that happen when non-military people are killed when a military target is hit.

War Crimes were defined after the Second World War Nuremberg Court and by the Geneva Conventions and are prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.

“War crimes include the deliberate targeting of civilians; attacks that cause disproportionate civilian casualties given the military objective; and attacks on hospitals, schools, historic monuments, and other key civilian sites. Plenty of horrific acts of violence resulting in civilian deaths would not meet the definition.”

In order to do so, they must also meet certain specific conditions-the prosecutors must be able to trace the chain of command to the order to attack the hospital, historic site, school, or known place of refuge. The investigators must find that ‘smoking gun’. Other acts of violence, including chemical or biological attacks, are also war crimes. It is known that the Syrian government used chemical attacks against people in its cities, but Russia helped in the coverup of some of these attacks. The Russians have already accused the United States of colluding with Ukraine to develop biological weapons; the two countries cooperate in developing vaccines and in the study of viruses, such as COVID, but not chemical weapons. Crimes against humanity such as torture, mass murder, and enslavement are also prohibited.

President Biden has already warned the Ukrainians to expect that Russia might use chemical or biological weapons since Putin has used them before. He is thought to have ordered that toxic chemicals be used on a former Ukrainian president, killed a former Russian spy with a radioactive substance, attacked another in the UK, along with his daughter, (but they survived) although an innocent citizen died, and poisoned his rival, Alexei Navalny.

The attacks on the cities, in this instance, are not collateral damage as there are no military targets, there are only civilians, despite Russian claims to the contrary. And these civilians, mostly women, and children are dying in large numbers. Those who can get out are fleeing to nearby countries. So far, the estimates of those who have left are greater than three and one-half million. Since men are staying to be part of the resistance, those trapped or targeted in “safe corridors” are women and children. Sadly, those unable to travel without special accommodations for dialysis, feeding, or intravenous fluids are being left in centers or hospitals. So, the very young and the very old are being left behind in many instances. The authorities successfully evacuated an oncology center for children, one of the few good news stories to emerge. The hospital for mothers and babies that was bombed had both good and bad news; one mother successfully delivered her baby despite wounds, another mother died from her injuries along with her unborn child.

The pundits think that since the citizens of Ukraine resisted strongly, and they did not meet the Russian soldiers with welcoming flowers, but with bullets, Putin decided to destroy the cities until the country surrendered. Their theory was that Ukraine needed to become again a part of Russia, in Putin's imperial megalomanic imagination, and if it would not do so willingly, he would force the issue. As one TV commentator mentioned, in Aleppo, Putin bombed it until the city was destroyed, then he bombed the rubble so that it was uninhabitable. Some fear that he is attempting to repeat this in Mariupol and other coastal cities. In a supremely cruel move, his troops have offered some desperate civilians safe passage, but only to the Russian state. Before the invasion, Mariupol was the tenth-largest city in Ukraine and had a population of over 430,000 residents.

Today, the Ukrainians rejected a Russian offer of safe passage for those under siege, in exchange for the surrender of the city. Other residents have stated that the Russian troops kidnapped and transported some people to special camps within Russia as war prisoners and they forced them to sign documents against their country. {This claim has not been validated.} This also would be a war crime. It has been reported, however, that the Russians had lists of prominent citizens to kill or capture and, in several cities, they have detained the mayor. The Russians claim many thousands went willingly to Russia to escape the war; many Ukrainians hold dual citizenships. The troops have refused to allow The International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, both known neutral entities, entry to the beleaguered cities to bring food and medical care that was much needed. There are reports of people hiding in basements without light, heat, or water in extreme cold conditions and dying of malnutrition and dehydration.  

Some might wonder why the United Nations cannot send in peace-keeping troops as had been done in the conflicts in Yugoslavia. The United Nations unanimously voted to send in peacekeepers over the initial and subsequent conflicts. In 1991, the former country of Yugoslavia became engaged in a war of separatism. Later, conflicts erupted in a war between ethnic groups in Bosnia with Serbs and Muslims and battling former neighbors, which became a war of ethnic cleansing and eventual discovery of mass graves of Muslims killed by the Serbs in deliberate genocide. Several countries were established after peace was declared in 1995; these were the five republics of the former Yugoslavia - Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia - and Slovenia. The leaders Milošević and Karadžić were both eventually charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Although Milosevic died before his trial finished; Karadzic was found and convicted finally after he spent ten years in hiding. (This is admittedly a far too brief review of those conflicts but it gives an example of war crime prosecution.)

For the United Nations to unanimously agree on any action in Ukraine, the permanent members of the Security Council must also agree; Russia is a member of the Security Council and would never agree to UN peace-keepers on what it considers part of their country, so that avenue is out. On the initial vote to condemn the Russian invasion, only Russia voted against the resolution, even China abstained.  

There is no time here to go into detail about the massive information shutdown that is now affecting the Russian citizens, but I will mention it briefly. Russian television is broadcasting a false narrative about the war, which is still called a special military operation. The News there claims that everyone knows the Russians do not bomb cities. Using the word ‘war’ is forbidden on the airways. Putin held a MAGA-style rally with an audience that was compelled to attend and celebrated the anniversary of his successful incursion into Crimea. I wonder what would have happened had the world stopped him then? Putin curtailed Internet news, although some avenues are getting through with actual news of the war and the losses by the Russians. Sadly though, Russian television is showing Tucker Carlson and his support for the invasion and other GOP members who have supported the invasion.

Some of the MAGA crowd are stumbling over their support of Putin, others such as Madison Cawthorn, who called Zelensky a thug, and Marjorie Taylor Greene-who recently attended and spoke at a conference of white supremacists, held by a Putin enthusiast, doubled down on their support. I just wish that the right-wing crowds who have been salivating over Putin and Hungary’s Orban and their ‘strong leadership Christian, and anti-gay philosophies,’ would reevaluate and see just what an autocracy can do to free speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press. When the state controls everything, there can be no dissent. The Economist referred to the changes in Russia as the re-Stalinization of Russia. Remember, it was Stalin who deliberately caused the deaths of millions of Ukrainians during the 1930s, many by starvation. This horror was called the Holodomor, and the country still commemorates the deaths each year.

******************************************************************************************

Just a brief mention of COVID cases. They are down significantly in America, rising in Europe, with the BA.2 variant of Omnicom, and problematic in Hong Kong and parts of China. Mask mandates are coming down in much of the US. Hospitalizations have also decreased.

COVID STATS: NY Times:

US Totals: Total cases: 79,624,123. New Cases: 29,903.

                   Total Deaths:970.082. New Deaths: 1103.

Maryland Totals: Total Cases: 1,009,004. New Cases: 300.

                              Total Deaths: 14,298. New Deaths: 5.

**********************************************************************************

The Senate hearings for the confirmation of the new Supreme Court Associate Justice, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, start this week. She has already passed Senate hearings for her confirmation to lower courts and is given the ABA evaluation of well-qualified as its highest review. Already some Republicans are making noises about her deficiencies, seen as being a public defender, and maybe too lenient on sex offenders according to Senator Hawley who has also questioned her academic history, and Tucker who demanded to see her Law and LSAT school grades.

Gee, I would love to see what Tuckers’ grades were! He graduated college with a BA in history.

I will close tonight with the first verse of a poem by poet Wilford Owen who died in 1918:

Anthem for Doomed Youth

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons.**

No mockeries now for them, no prayers nor bells,

Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs-

The shrill demented choirs of wailing shells;

And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

** An orison is an old-fashioned word for prayer.

There is sadness in many homes in Ukraine tonight; I send healing thoughts to those who mourn.

‘Til next week-Peace to all. 

How Will This End?

The news from Ukraine is not good. As I write tonight, Russian bombarding continues against urban centers and civilian targets. Soldiers on both sides are suffering casualties as the combatants get closer to each other. Ukrainian opposition forces that destroyed bridges, massed ambushes and fired Javelin missiles have bogged down the miles-long convoy of Russian troops and tanks. The Russian troops in their attacks on cities have not allowed the evacuation of civilians, and in many instances, even fired on travelers in so-called safe evacuation corridors; they cut encircled cities off from all attempts at humanitarian relief. There are reports of children in Mariupol dying from lack of food and water; news reports show bodies left untended in the streets as the residents hunker down in bunkers. There are concerns that Putin did not expect the defensive strength shown by the Ukrainian military and civilian forces, so he chose to destroy the urban centers and starve the populace into submission. So far, he has not completely succeeded and has encountered more opposition than he expected. Many consider his actions outside the laws of decency and even barbaric. There is no one in Russia who can tell him no. The media reported that two members of the spy force, the FSB, were put under house arrest this week but no reasons were given. Attempts to find and kill Zelensky had been reported; he is staying mostly out of sight.

The war is now in its third week; diplomacy has failed. The widened sanctions against Russia have caused some pain, but have not stopped the aggression. Russian troops took the Mayor of Melitopol away with a bag over his head after he refused to surrender as his city was occupied. A maternity hospital and a cancer center were both bombed, as the Russians falsely claimed that troops were using the hospitals as cover. Video footage showing obviously pregnant women running out of the building with visible injuries demonstrated the truth about the hospital. President Zelensky has accused the Russians of war crimes for this and other civilian attacks. He has stayed in his country and rallied his citizens to defend their nation. He also dramatically demanded that the U.S. or NATO maintain a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine to keep the Russian Airplanes on the ground. President Biden has refused, invoking the danger of Americans shooting down Russian planes and widening this into a world war. Some others say that this is the only way to stop Ukrainians from dying and slow down Putin who would respect force. So far, NATO and the U.S. have increased their shipments of defensive weapons and anti-tank missiles. (Do you remember DJT wanted to do Putins’ bidding and get the U.S. out of NATO? Where would we be now had that happened?)

What does the world do when a ruthless dictator does not believe he has to follow the Rule of Law as it applies to International Rules of Diplomacy? A further complication of these situations is that Russia is one of the nine nuclear powers in the world. (The others are: the United States, Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel-although Israel does not admit to this power.) According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, these nations have thousands (about 13,000) of these types of weapons. The U.S. and Russia have most of this number, with approximately 5,500 weapons for the U.S. and about 6,300 for Russia. Each country has some of these weapons at the ready, to be launched at a few moments’ notice. The deterrents have always been that the theory of mutual and total destruction would apply should one country launch against the other. The questions countries are asking now concern Putins’ sanity, like-is he really crazy enough to go nuclear? What would he do if they chased him into a corner? Some have said he is trying to reconstruct the former Soviet Union, a country at a time. He seems to care little for public opinion; he seems to be about the most hated man on the planet currently.

Recently Putin has rattled his nuclear saber with talk of using tactical nuclear weapons. These weapons are designed to be used on the battlefield, on a limited basis, and could be fitted onto a missile, then fired into cities. However, even though they are described as tactical, they are still lethal. As described by Scientific American: “A tactical nuclear weapon would produce a fireball, shock waves, and deadly radiation that would cause long-term health damage in survivors. Radioactive fallout would contaminate air, soil, water, and the food supply.”

Scientific American has also described a mushroom cloud in another issue: “A mushroom cloud forms when an explosion creates a very hot bubble of gas. In the case of a nuclear detonation, the bomb emits a blast of x-rays, which ionize and heat the surrounding air; that hot bubble of gas is known as a fireball. The hot air is buoyant, so it quickly rises and expands. The rising cloud creates a powerful updraft which picks up dust, forming the stem of the mushroom cloud.”

[The explosive force does not have to be nuclear to cause a mushroom cloud. The explosion in Beirut, Lebanon in recent years produced a mushroom cloud but was due to nitrate stored at the port.]

Ukraine has already experienced the dangers of radiation as it suffered the meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear plant; the area around that plant remains contaminated and radioactive. About 45 people died because of the initial explosion and subsequent cancers from exposure. They found thousands of cancers in survivors in the years since the 1986 incident. Currently, Russian troops occupy that closed, but still hot, site, which was under constant monitoring. Crews rotate out frequently to reduce exposure but have been forbidden to leave since the Russians arrived. This weekend, they lost power in the area, raising concerns that the coolers running to keep the spent fuel rods from overheating would fail, but backup generators kicked in. They restored power after a couple of days, giving the nuclear scientists some relief. Nuclear monitoring showed no increased radioactivity after the power loss, so there were reduced, but not fully eased, concerns. Ukraine has 15 nuclear power plants; foreign troops currently occupy two of them, so this issue is an ongoing concern.

In the only use of the atomic bomb in Japan, over 100,000 deaths occurred from the two bombs dropped by the U.S. that were far less powerful than the current hydrogen bombs, which now fill silos and are carried on submarines and planes. Countless others were victims of radiation illnesses, burns, leukemias, and tumors. Once the world realized just how dangerous these weapons were, diplomats tried to restrict their use; however, the U.S. could not hold onto this technology, and spies and scientists worked hard to spread it more widely. It is said that North Korea got the centrifuges to build a bomb from a Pakistani scientist and nuclear power technology from the old Soviet Union. However, according to the Washington Post, many companies and countries helped North Korea over the years through black market sales and other hidden deals. This is an example of another sanctioned nation working around sanctions and an example of an unstable leader having dangerous weapons. With the world’s attention on Ukraine, North Korea has been shooting off missiles over the past week.

The lack of information about the war is isolating the Russian population. Using the word “war” in public can cause one to be jailed, while the state line is that this is a rescue, not an invasion. The propaganda machine is in full force, as the country is told that Ukraine is being rescued from Nazi rule. World War ll is being revisited to showcase the victorious Soviet Union that Putin hopes to restore. Residents of Ukraine who have relatives in Russia are being told that they are not being bombed and civilians are not being targeted when they call their family members with tales of distress. Since the war started, the Internet was controlled and Facebook and Twitter have been limited. Reports in the Washington Post today note that the intimidation of these entities started last year before the Russian elections, when the imprisoned Alexei Navalny commissioned an alternative online suggested slate for the Duma or Congress, be posted online to give voters a choice. The head of Google was threatened with jail if this was not taken down immediately. As the Post reported: “Amid this internal offensive, Putin also moved to bring foreign technology companies to heel. Moscow deployed new devices that let it degrade or even block Russians’ access to Facebook and Twitter, imposed fines totaling $120 million on firms accused of defying Kremlin censors, and ordered 13 of the world’s largest technology companies to keep employees in Russia and thus exposed to potential arrest or other punishment for their employers’ actions — a measure that U.S. executives refer to as the “hostage law.”

This should be a sober reminder to those Republican and FOX devotees who have been “rootin’ for Putin”; he is a dictator who allows no dissent. Hang onto Democracy, please everyone. If he wins in Ukraine, I doubt he will stop there. Others expressed the fears of Moldova that already has Russian troops, supposedly peacekeepers, stationed in their country. It is a small country that could easily be overrun, yet it is taking in refugees.

Please hope that the cease-fire talks supposedly scheduled for tomorrow produce something constructive. The last talks were a joke as Putin demanded that Ukraine surrender, agree to occupation, and demilitarize. Oh, and promise to never try to join NATO. Well, each of those was a non-starter, so things can only get better, right? The problem with negotiations with Putin is that he does not keep his word, so how can one know what to expect?

************************************************************************************

I am concerned that the sizeable crowds of people crammed into buses and onto trains in their escapes from the war and not wearing masks will cause an uptick in COVID cases in Europe. Over 2.5 million people, mostly women and children, have left the war zones and scattered over borders into nearby countries and across Europe. Health authorities echoed these fears in a New York Times article today that noted only one-third of Ukrainians were vaccinated and even mentioned an increasing polio outbreak that came from Tajikistan. Otherwise, in America, mask mandates are coming down, although they remain in place for flights and other transportation.

COVID Stats-NY Times:

U.S. Totals: Total Cases: 79,418,131. New Cases: 34,232.

                      Total Deaths: 966,361. New Deaths: 1291.

Maryland Totals: Total Cases: 1,006,901. New Cases: 300.

                               Total Deaths: 14,261. New Deaths: 11.

****************************************************************************

Well, this week a group of truckers, following their Canadian friends, I guess, have been circling the Washington Beltway protesting-well, no one is sure what they are protesting, but they are going around in circles. I am glad they did not disrupt traffic too much, although they slowed it down. They say they are protesting COVID mandates-a bit late, since most have been relaxed, but they have a right to protest. But never one to waste a photo-op, Senator Ted Cruz jumped in the cab of a truck and joined the circling beltway travelers. Of course, it is not new to see Cruz going around in circles!

However, Cruz called mandates immoral when he had his minute at the mike-no, Senator, mandates are not immoral, they saved lives. What is immoral is what Russia is doing to Ukraine.

‘Til next week, hope for peace.

Modern Day Huns?

If you remember your ancient history, the marauding Huns were partly responsible for the fall of the Roman Empire. We knew these nomadic tribesmen, who were based in what we know today as Kazakhstan, as fierce fighters and excellent horsemen.

According to the World History Encyclopédia: “In time, this would change as the Huns became one of the primary contributors to the fall of the Roman Empire, as their invasions of the regions around the empire, which were particularly brutal, encouraged what is known as the Great Migration (also known as the “Wandering of the Nations,”) between roughly 376-476 CE. This migration of peoples, such as the Alans, Goths, and Vandals, disrupted the status quo of Roman society, and their various raids and insurrections weakened the empire.”

Wars are as old as the written history of civilization. So why are we surprised when every decade or so, war pops up like the daffodils in spring from the frozen earth? As I listened to news commentators today speaking about the ravaging of Ukraine by President Putin’s forces, I marveled at so many who said ‘he has done this before and was not stopped - whatever made the western countries think that this time would be any different?’ The pattern appears to be the same as he has used before. Putin selects a country that he feels has an inferior fighting force and pounds it until it surrenders, not caring as in Aleppo that he destroyed the city. So, it seems, he is not all that different from the ancient, uncivilized Huns! Some say that since the Ukrainians are resisting, he will try to destroy much of their urban architecture as possible, not caring that he is targeting civilians along with armed forces. The Ukrainians have been fighting back fiercely, arming a volunteer force and evacuating women and children. But the Russians targeted even these evacuations; after a cease-fire, safe corridor was negotiated, and people were leaving, they attacked the civilians. The charismatic Ukrainian President is pleading for airpower and a no-fly zone since he has a small air force, but the US is reluctant to police this air space for fear of direct confrontation with Russian pilots. It seems as if a compromise is underway with Poland planning to give some of its old planes to Ukraine, while the US will send more modern ones to Poland in replacement. In a real turnabout, the new German Chancellor is also sending weapons to Ukraine; the US landed several planes in Poland this week with millions of dollars worth of defensive anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. These weapons will also be transported to Ukraine over ground routes, which remain open at this time.

Some leaders are raising issues of war crimes as Russian strikes at apartment buildings target civilians, and they hit other cities with so-called cluster bombs which have been banned by most nations. So, I, along with many in the world, hope that the Ukrainians can hold on, as the NATO nations send in more military supplies, but not troops. There have been reports of more military volunteers arriving from across the world to join with the Ukrainian army in their efforts. The Russian forces, who thought it would welcome them, are not finding the ground war a straightforward task. Some described the military as demoralized, underpaid, poorly fed, and lacking a coherent supply chain. There are reports that Chechen fighters who are mercenaries and violent will supplement the Russian forces. The 170,000 troops who were positioned around the borders of Ukraine in recent weeks have mostly entered the country; the southern areas near the sea are close to being occupied.

This week a nuclear power plant came under fire from Russian forces who subsequently captured and occupied it, keeping the staff who run the plant hostage. Because of a fire that broke out next to the plant, there were serious concerns about a facility meltdown such as was seen at Chernobyl decades earlier. Follow-up has shown no leakage from the plant and staff are still in place. The Chernobyl site is still a hot site and forces protecting it are not supposed to stay for long periods, because of exposure risks. However, they have not been allowed to leave by the Russians, who surrounded that area in the first days of the fighting. Putin has rattled the nuclear saber several times in recent days, so careful concerns about nuclear power plants do not seem high on his list. Some commentators have noted that when he is cornered, he always has doubled down; many hope that he does not feel so threatened that he will use nuclear options.

Meanwhile, as sanctions kick in and corporations flee, Russia is becoming more isolated. Residents find bank cards may not work, their savings are dwindling, and commodities are becoming scarce. There have been daily protests in the streets; authorities arrested 4300 Russian people today, even as penalties for demonstrating increase. News blackouts continue and reports of the war are inaccurate by state media. Internet access to information has been interrupted.

Just thought I would add a poem about war, to possibly deter those who think there is glory in war. There isn’t any glory, although there are winners and losers eventually, but those who are wounded, killed, and traumatized have found no glory.

Siren-Swell by Writer Fox™

“Siren-swell
This one’s for real
It’s not a drill
Slip the slurping baby from the breast.

Bombs bellowing
There’s no such thing
As sheltering
Beneath the twisting tangle of these times.

Full alert
The cannons spurt
Their total worth
Gyring on the vortices of pi.

Wing-to-wing
The gathering
Exhibiting
War is a place like no other.

There’s no place like war.

There’s no place like war.”

Meanwhile, back at home, some Republicans continue to be apologists for Putin. How this can be, I do not understand. The party appears to be moving further away from democracy and more toward liking autocracies. DJT continues to voice praise for the dictator; Mike Pompeo shouted “that the American public does not care about Ukraine” in an interview on NPR. In a break with the party, Mike Pence said recently that there should be no room in the party for apologists for Putin, apparently trying to move himself further from his former boss. Other reports show the base is moving away from the positions taken by the former president as more people see the destruction and civilian deaths and hear the heartfelt pleas by citizens who want to keep their new democracy. Recent polls reported by 538 show that the American public is unsure and divided about what the American response should be. NPR reports that President Biden’s poll numbers jumped after the State of the Union speech to 48%, with the satisfaction of his handling of Ukraine issues up to 52% and coronavirus handling at 55%; the economy is still at 45% despite record jobs numbers and low unemployment. Inflation seems to be the mover for the numbers there.

********************************************************************

COVID case numbers across the country continue to decline. Many states are now reducing or dropping mask mandates, although they remain in place on public transportation for now. The CDC advised people to look at their community numbers, and, if they were in a hot spot, to continue to wear masks at public gatherings. The US has sent more vaccines to several countries in Africa where the vaccinations numbers remain quite low. Maryland is doing better with its 74% vaccination rate, although Cecil County (57% vaccinated) and Garrett County (49% vaccinated) continue to have high infection rates. Although the Times records a lower number, some reports note that deaths have exceeded one million in the US and, with worldwide numbers at over six million, we have had a disproportionate share.

COVID Stats: NY Times

US Totals: Total Cases: 79,173,274. New Cases: 44,386.

                    Total Deaths: 957,427. New Deaths: 1,510.

Maryland Totals: Total Cases: 1,004,802. New Cases: 378.

                            Total Deaths: 14,183. New Deaths: 9.

*******************************************************************************

Today was the 57^th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, that horrific day in Selma, Alabama, when peaceful civil rights marchers were harassed, gassed, beaten, and bloodied at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. John Lewis, not yet a Congressman, was one of the marchers and was clubbed so hard he had a fractured skull and almost died. I remember that day and I remember just how horrified I was at learning of those events. I also remember the speech by President Johnson where he used the words “we shall overcome”. Hearing those words from a President from Texas was momentous and eventually, his efforts led to the passage of Voting Rights reforms. Today, thanks to efforts on the Supreme Court and inaction by Republicans in Congress, those hard-fought rights are again under attack.

In her remarks today at the bridge, Vice President Kamala Harris noted that the rights of all citizens are under attack. She noted that even as the world cheers on the fight for democracy in Ukraine, democracy here remains under attack. As NPR reported:

“Today, we stand on this bridge at a different time,” Harris said before a cheering crowd of thousands. “We again, however, find ourselves caught in between. Between injustice and justice. Between disappointment and determination. Still in a fight to form a more perfect union. And nowhere is that more clear than when it comes to the ongoing fight to secure the freedom to vote.”

On a happier note, the Maryland primary season is in full swing. Candidates are crossing the state, (except those who currently are state district elected officials and cannot campaign during the legislative sessions). They moved the date to declare up to March because of the late redistricting decisions, so the new candidates will have a brief season before the June 28^th primary date.

Today I attended an event for Tom Perez who is running for Governor and is one of many Democratic candidates for that office. Maryland Matters reports on the contributions for that race here. Perez is noted to be in the top tier of fundraising among the candidates. Perennial candidate Republican Robin Ficker, who has run for every office except dog catcher, I think 😊, is still running although he was recently disbarred for his conduct and lapses as an attorney. Frederick Republican Delegate Cox, who was part of the January Sixth insurrection, recently tried to impeach Governor Hogan unsuccessfully, is also in the race.

Today I will leave you with the National zoo’s release of a new porcupette, a kind of porcupine with a pre-hensile or useable tail. He is a cute little prickly guy! Think porcupine with a monkey tail-only tiny, and you’ve got the idea.

‘Til next week-I wish peace for our world!