Donald Trump famously invited TV cameras to watch his cabinet secretaries say what an honor it will be to serve him, the country be damned. Vladimir Putin showed his former puppet yesterday that real strongmen instill fear more than finagle flattery. He invited TV cameras to watch his spy chief and other national security advisers… Read more.
Europe
Eyeing Ukraine Has Putin Acting Like a Bully
Russia is now poised for an invasion of Ukraine – just as North Korea has been for an invasion of South Korea for over 50 years. In fact, Russia’s menacing bully, Vladimir Putin, is just like North Korea’s menacing bully, Kim Jong-un … only with lots of oil and more nukes to leverage his mischief… Read more.
No German Weapons for Ukraine Is Pacifism Masquerading as Penance
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock insisted today that Ukraine will not receive any German weapons to defend itself against Russia. She explained that Germany’s role in WWII imposes a special duty to “seek other ways to secure peace.” Of course, it’s self-evident that Germany remains haunted by this past. But this smacks of an ironic form… Read more.
The Plot to Kill Vladimir Putin…?
I laughed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron sitting so far apart at a big marble table. It made them look like two wannabe Napoleons. I thought Putin was trying in vain to snub Macron. But then I saw him keeping similar distance in a staged meeting from his own foreign… Read more.
A Little Redemption for Djokovic, ‘No Vaxx’ Djokovic
I “crucified” Novak Djokovic – not just for attempting to flout Australia’s Covid protocols to play in its grand slam last month, but because I thought he was reveling in his celebrity as an anti-vaxxer (like RFK Jr). The facts are still murky; but it’s clear he knew he was gaming the system when he… Read more.
Russia Poised to Invade but Ukraine Insists There’s No Panic…
Only a cold-hearted, genocidal maniac (like Chinese President Xi Jinping) could fail to sympathize with the predicament of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, let alone with the looming fate of the Ukrainian people. On the other hand, I suspect I sympathize with both as much as anyone not born in Ukraine possibly could. And I can… Read more.
Prince Andrew’s ‘MeToo’ Accuser Can Sue Him, Court Rules
Prince Andrew’s ‘MeToo’ Accuser A judge has given the green light to a lawsuit by an American woman who says Prince Andrew sexually abused her when she was 17. … U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected an argument by Andrew’s lawyers that Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit should be thrown out at an early stage because… Read more.
British Royals Trapped … in Gilded Cages…?
Only children believe in fairy tales. Yet it took the tragic life of Princess Diana for many to realize that royalty is no fairy tale. Her son, Prince Harry, is reinforcing this realization. He’s claiming that British royals are trapped in gilded cages. And that makes their fairy-tale lives seem very grim indeed. British royals trapped… Read more.
Spoiler Alert! Oprah’s Getting No Dirt on Royals That Diana And Meghan Haven’t Already Dished
So it turns out Meghan Markle assimilated into the British Royal Family like a black wasp in white milk. But boy, who would’ve thought it would be thus? Oh right, anyone with eyes to read the tabloids, and ears to hear a previous “bombshell interview” she herself gave. This is why I don’t get all… Read more.
Dissing British Royalty to Mourn American Democracy
You probably thought the 2020 US presidential election would never end. But it has. Joe Biden is (effectively) the President-elect of the United States. Unfortunately, I fear his victory will be pyrrhic. And the legal challenges now underway will be the least of it. After all, the Republican members of Trump’s cult performed so well … Read more.