Adam Speaks

Adam Kinsinger on the Late Show. These may be out of sequence, so deal.

(YT seems to be embedding longer and longer commercials at the beginning. Reloading the page seems to kill them, most of the time.)

Vance is even a greater gift to Putin than Trump. As far as I know, it cost the Russians nothing to acquire Vance. Trump, well, they had to buy him. Allegedly.

Political Courage in the Age of MAGA

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell went agains the MAGA fascists in pushing aid to Ukraine to President Biden's desk.

Before The Dead Radio Fascist and Newtie the Terrorist changed things, bipartisanship was normal. It was fairly rate to have a supermajority in the Senate, so if anything was to be done, it took working across the aisle to do it. Legislators from both parties would, from time to time, get together socially. Their families were friends and neighbors with each other. But that ended whtn those two assholes elected to engage in a decades'-long demonization of those who disagreed with them.

A majority of Republicans in both bodies bought into Russian and MAGA propaganda about the Russo-Ukrainian War. Some of the loonier onew, such as Moscow Marjorie Traitor Greene, did little more than repeat and push Russian propaganda. The rest of those low-wattage boobs were content to throw away Republican hawkishness on Russia (and the USSR) and turn their backs on Putin's push to rebuild the Soviet Union. They were happy to repeat the pro-Nazi mistake of the America First jerkoffs in 1940 and 1941, bury their heads in the dirt and wait until the war came to our shores.

McConnell knew the danger early on and has been outspoken in the need to help Ukraine beat back the Ruscist Katsaps. Johnson, on the other hand, took some persuasion. Maybe it was the lesson of history. Maybe it was the fact that his son will be in the Naval Academy this summer and, if we get into a war with Russia, his kid may be one of those who gets shot at.

But either way, those two leaders stood up to the MAGA morons in their caucus and they deserve to be honored for it.

Putin's Useful Idiots in the Senate

Update: The bill is now law. The taps are opening.

McConnell had some harsh words for those "poo-flinging chaos monkeys":

“The holiday from history is over,” McConnell said on the Senate floor before the vote. “Will the Senate indulge the fantasy of pulling up a drawbridge? Will we persist in the 21st century with an approach that failed in the 20th? Or will we dispense with the myths of isolationism and embrace reality?

“So much of the hesitation and shortsightedness that has delayed this moment is premised on sheer fiction. And I take no pleasure in rebutting misguided fantasies,” McConnell said in a rebuke of some members of his party. “I wish, sincerely, that recognizing the responsibilities of American leadership was the price of admission for serious conversations about the future of our national security.”

McConnell knows that his party was on the wrong side of history in 1940-41; he doesn't want to repeat that error. He blamed both Tuckyo Rose and the TOFF for the delay in authorizing aid to Ukraine.

JD Vance, on the other hand, offered the lame-ass excuse that Putin is not Hitler. that's true, if the deciding factor is industrial-based genocide. but as to everything else, such as invading neighboring countries, abolishing freedom of the press and jailing people for having the temerity to even mildly speak out in dissent, there isn't a sliver of difference between the two.

I'll post the roll-call roster when I find a form that's easy to copy. But, having said that, a majority of GOP senators chose to vote for tyranny and for Putin. Most of the expected suspects in the Caucus of Appeasers voted to appease Putin: Blackburn, Hawley, Cruz, Johnson, among others.

I am glad that enough Republican senators stood up to their pro-Putin wing. But it's sad that it was a minority of Republicans in both houses of Congress. Pro-Hitler then, Pro-Putin now.

Updated and Even More Deadly

The S-200, a 55-year old mssile system, which Ukraine allegedly used to shoot down a second Russian A-50.

If you love fascism, if you want to see Russia reconquer most of Eastern Europe, then vote for Republicans. If you believe that the Russians have reverted to being the same evil empire that they were labelled in the early 1980s, then don't vote for Republicans.

It is that simple.

She Is So Screwed!

Russia’s main domestic intelligence agency has arrested a woman with dual U.S. and Russian citizenship on charges of treason, accusing her of collecting money for the Ukrainian military.
...
Russia’s Federal Security Service alleges that [Ksenia] Khavana had been “proactively” raising funds for a Ukrainian organization since February 2022 — money that it says was “subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

Putin will have his pound of flesh of anyone who crosses him, whther it's a ballerina who gave a few bucks to a Ukrainian charity or a Russian pilot who defected. His forces continue to commit war crimes.

Ukraine is not done. Even though the Republican traitors and appeasers would hope they are.

(Never vote for a Republican for any office whatsoever.)

The TOFF, Who Normally Can't Keep His Yap Shut About Anything, Holds It Firmly Shut to Avoid Upsetting His Boss

He refused to condemn Russia when Putin's henchmen tried to kill Alexei Navalny four years ago and he's not saying anything bad about Putin now.

Nikki Haley called him out on it, not that it matters any:

"Either he sides with Putin and thinks it's cool that Putin killed one of his political opponents, or he just doesn't think it's that big of a deal. Either one of those is concerning. Either one of those is a problem."

Russia is the country most likely to start a global thermonuclear war. The TOFF and his fellow travelers in the pro-Putin Caucus are trying to do whatever they can to dismantle NATO in order to help Russia conquer its neighbors.

I have said this many times and I will continue to say it: The Republicans have not changed one bit since they were the pro-Hitler party. There were in Hitler's pocket until Hitler declared war on America a few days after the Pearl Harbor attack and they will be the pro-Putin party until the nukes start flying.

This Loss of a Ukrainian City Is Brought to You By Bible Mike and His Caucus of Appeasers

Ukraine says its troops have withdrawn from Avdiivka - a key eastern town besieged by Russian forces for months.

The decision was taken in order to save the soldiers' lives, said President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday it had taken "full control" of the town, with President Vladimir Putin hailing it as an "important victory".

Its fall marks Russia's biggest win for months, and Mr Zelensky blamed faltering Western weapons supplies.

This is on the Party of Appeasement. They have done everything that they can do to choke off aid to Ukraine because they think that people who want to remain free should, instead, bend their necks to a murderous dictator. In that regard, they have not changed a bit from their stance 83 years ago.

One of Putin's Poodles is in Munich to argue that appeasement is the proper policy. I suppose he's blind to the outcome of the last time Western politicians went to Munch to argue that the aggressor should be given terrirtory to appease him.

Vance, Johnson and the rest of those useful idiots will be condemned by history for being the appeasement monkeys that they are.

What Republicans Have Wrought in Taiwan

Thanks to the Republicans' screwing around with aid to Ukraine, two-thirds of the Taiwanese now believe that the United States is not a trustworthy ally, that in the event that the PRC attacks them, they will be left to twist in the wind.

And if Xi believes the same thing, it will be game on sooner rather than later. Because history is pretty clear that wars get going when the aggressor believes that their victim and friends won't fight.

If war comes to the Pacific, be sure to thank a Republican.

Chinese ICBMs Are Fueled With Water?

Per Tam, this is pretty interesting:

What is also interesting is the different ways that Russia and China have responded to pervasive corruption within their respective militaries. Xi is apparently trying to clean house. Putin seems to be less aware of corruption (or he is getting a cut), because he's not removing people. Putin may be more of a guy who has the Trumist/Bushie view that reality is what he says it is.

Still, Putin may prevail in Ukraine because the Republicans have his back, just as the American Right had Germany's back right up until December 11, 1941. And while Xi may be more aware of his military's shortcomings than Putin, Xi might yet attack Taiwan because he may comclude that the Republicans will be as willing to combat Chinese aggression as they are in combating Russian aggression.

Torture Nation, Russian Ed.

These are the people that the so-called "Freedom Caucus" are supporting.

The UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, says his office has documented at least 100 civilian deaths in Russian custody in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, including the annexed Crimea peninsula.

Citing a new UN report, Türk reported in Geneva on Tuesday that there were signs that at least 39 of the civilians had been tortured before their deaths.

None of this is any surprise. Russia is about as uncivilized a nation as there is for a country with all or part of its territory in Europe.

RobertaX remarks that Republicans are bound and determined to ignore history and play douchebag politics. I think it's worse than that, but you're familiar. But as she put it, if we get into a war with Russia, nobody's going to be sweating who crosses the Rio Grande. Hell, most people will be going the other way.

A Thought

The TOFF diverted military funds for his wall and it was legal.

So why not do the same thing for Ukraine?

The Appeasement Caucus, apparently, wants to pull out of NATO and break our security treaties. Since they don't want to help Ukraine, they sure as shit won't help Taiwan. So what do we need B-21s for, or more Virginia-class subs? We're not going to help our friends, the GOP Surrender Monkeys will see to that.

It's not a "peace dividend", it's the GOP Surrender Dividend.

The Lesson That the GOP is Teaching the Communist Chinese

The lesson is: Make it costly enough to support our allies and friends and the Republicans will fold and walk away. (If they even stand up for them in the first place.)

The second lesson is an old one: When it comes to choosing between democratic nations and dictatorships, the GOP will support dictatorships. Every freaking time. If another country is a democracy, the GOP will support whatever dictator seizes power.

If Bible Mike and his fellow appeasement monkeys get away with what they are trying to do to Ukraine, the chances of China invading Taiwan will rise significantly. Unless the Taiwanese agree to let Beijing take control. But, as was shown in Hong Kong, the "one China, two systems" promise was not worth the paper it was printed on.

The Networks Have the Attention Span of Goldfish

In case you've forgotten, there is still a war going on in Eastern Europe. All the TV correspondents have moved on to the Israel-Hamas war.

The Russians are still terrorizing civilians with missile strikes. The Ukrainians are still hitting Russian military assets behind the front lines and assassinating collaborators in Russian-occupied territories.

And the Republicans still have a significant number of politicians who are backing Putin because they hate free nations and support dictatorships.

Putin's Latest Purchase?

Pressed by @MarthaRaddatz, presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy says aiding Ukraine is not a "top foreign policy priority for us.”

“What I think we need to do is end the Ukraine war on peaceful terms that, yes, do make some major concessions to Russia.” https://t.co/1SlS2LIyjK pic.twitter.com/ExUeyidqMR

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 4, 2023

Republicans love them some appeasement of dictators. They've gone back to their 1930s roots.

(H/T)

Is There Any War Crime That the Russians Won't Commit?

The Russians are kidnapping Ukrainian children and adopting them out to Russian families.

The forced transfer of children, when intended to destroy a national group, is an act of genocide under international law. And that is just what the Russians are trying to do. They are trying to erase Ukraine as a nation, as a people.

In that, the Russians' final solution to the existence of Ukraine may be a little more gentler than that chosen by Putin's spiritual German grandfather, but it is no less evil.

Meanwhile, Mike Pence has called out Putin's Poodles in his party:

“Now, I know there is a rising chorus in our party, including some new voices to our movement, who would have us disengaged with the wider world,” Pence said. “But appeasement has never worked, ever, in history. And now more than ever, we need a conservative movement committed to America’s role as leader of the free world and as a vanguard of American values.”

“As Russia continues its unconscionable war of aggression to Ukraine, I believe that conservatives must make it clear that Putin must stop and Putin will pay,” he added. “There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin. There is only room in this movement for champions of freedom.”

Good luck with that, Mikey. You're swimming against the tide of Tuckyo Rose, his fellow-travelers on his despicable network, and the radio/Internet pundits that make up the American verison of Radio Rwanda. You're now in the Party of Appeasement. Your party agrees with Putin on almost everything, because fascists stick together. Republicans might as well sing the Russian national anthem at their conventions.