Definition Time!

Radical Left: noun, Americans who believe that no one is above the law and people need to be accountable when they break the law.

Usage: I’m seeing it all over Twitter. The Radical Left is responsible for not letting Trump get away with the multiple crimes he has been accused of committing in the past 7 years.

Let’s remember to check definitions so we’re all on the same page.

Why is something so easy so difficult for MAGA??

I’m reading the ridiculous justifications that MAGA people are giving on social media to excuse their behavior on 1/6. Let me show you why you should give up now.

No, it wasn’t every Republican rioting.

No, they didn’t all break windows but the non-window breakers also weren’t tourists.

No, it’s not anything like any other protest at the Capitol.

Here’s why you need to take January 6 seriously.

It’s because it was done at the behest of a government official with the intention of shutting down an official act of Congress and to throw the election to the House where the loser of the election would be certified instead. That’s an attempt to overthrow the government by violent means and they almost got away with it.

A failed coup is still a coup. Holding the people who did it accountable might prevent the next one from being successful.

But why should you care? By the way, I’m not having any of that bullshit where the rest of us are somehow Trump haters. Yes, many of us hate him. But our feelings had nothing to do with his bad behavior or the bad behavior of his base. He is responsible for what he does. We are allowed to judge him for it. That is our right.

Why you should care is because if the perpetrators of the insurrection aren’t brought to justice, if they use their money to drag justice out hoping to run out the clock, if they coyly wink and nod at their base like plucky scoundrels, then WHAT are you ever going to hold them accountable for?

What happens in countries where you can’t stop your leaders from doing what they want? Well, they don’t have to listen to anyone anymore. They can act on a whim. They can mess up the election system so that even if you changed your mind, you couldn’t get rid of them.

They could steal national resources and property and become insanely rich. They could give out those riches to their loyal friends. They could make sure that the loyal get well taken care of and that the disloyal face the loss of their property.

They could tolerate corruption on a massive scale in every aspect of government services and private business that’s been officially blessed by the leader. You wouldn’t be able to get around it. Imagine being shaken down for even the most trivial goods and services. And their lackeys would pay tribute to the leader for the corruption franchises that will spring up everywhere.

You think life is unfair now for you working class white guys? Just wait.

They could prevent you from protesting. About ANYTHING. Don’t think for a hot nanosecond that your rights would mean anything. They’ll just get their Supreme Court to Dobbs your rights away. They could create their own security force that would be well paid for by them out of the vast resources they’ve stolen from the state to make sure that their thugs do their bidding.

They could have you arrested and put in jail for merely voicing a single word.

They could deplete your country and force the citizens to get used to a very miserable existence. You would endure your life but joy would be fleeting.

They could turn every news channel into Fox News. And you might think that’s a good idea but if you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember the time when there were differing opinions about things. You’ll know that you’re being lied to 24/7 but you won’t be able to find the truth anywhere. Your internet service will be heavily censored.

That’s what happens when a non-democratic ruler takes over via non-democratic means. Sure, they might be legitimately elected the first time. But they quickly start to change the way elections are run and counted. Then they stack their courts. THEN they start changing the rules or interpretations of the rules.

“Oh, it can’t happen here. You guys are overreacting to January 6”, you think.

Really? Why don’t you go ask people who live in Budapest or Belarus or Moscow what they think of January 6? That is, if you can find any who aren’t too scared to say what they actually think? You’ll find opponents of the government who are jailed or poisoned or permanently locked out of elections by the iron clad new rules on who can run and who will count the votes.

That’s what Donald Trump wanted for you. He just wanted to take over. He didn’t like losing. And he’s got a history of doing illegal shit to increase his wealth or get out of the consequences of his actions.

You can continue to support him because you’re emotionally regulated by his grievance filled rants. But you can’t get around what would happen to you or us as a country if he gets away with what he did.

If the rule of law doesn’t apply to him or people like him, then it’s a quick descent into not being your country anymore. You’ll be just a poor guy watching Trump and his usual suspects loot whatever isn’t nailed down and the election deniers will work overtime making sure you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.

THEY’LL be the ones who will take your guns. What are you going to do to stop them? Even the best stocked personal arsenal is no match against the most highly trained and armed army in the world. You won’t stand a chance.

We don’t want that and we suspect you don’t really want that either. That’s why we hold every January 6 insurrectionist accountable from the shaman at the bottom to the guy at the top.

In all likelihood, you’ve stopped reading this by now. But you can’t say you weren’t warned. Ignore it at your own peril.

The Iron Lady’s first impression of Putin

This clip is interesting. Margaret Thatcher gave her impression of Vladimir Putin and the Russian people. Note that it’s Thatcher, who herself was not ever described as warm, cuddly or sympathetic to ordinary people:

"They don't value human life as much as we do" – Margaret Thatcher speaking about Putin after Kursk submarine tragedy in 2000.

She calls Putin leader of the USSR in the video, probably seeing his ambitions and dreams clearly.

What do you think of the video? pic.twitter.com/KOlhu336RM

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 18, 2023

Her worldview makes the west allies that work together in a crisis, contrasted with Russians who seem to be able to distance themselves from human suffering.

It’s interesting how Clinton also had Putin’s number. But George Bush was conned by him and Obama was just hoping Putin would go away of his own accord and spare him from making any decisions. Trump was enthralled. Biden is back to being clear eyed and unafraid of Putin.

What do Clinton and Biden have in common that Bush, Obama and Trump lacked? How is it that Margaret Thatcher, of all people, also figured him out?

That’s a real question that I don’t know the answer to.